Album Review: Noah & The Whale - Heart of Nowhere
- Written by David Beech
Seemingly more of a collective than a band in the traditional sense, Noah & The Whale have been peddling their own innocuous yet infectious and ultimately charming blend of indie-pop-twee-folk since 2006. The line-up, particularly over their first two records, has seen the likes of established acts such as Emmy the Great and Laura Marling pass through their ranks before pursuing their own respective careers, whilst the release of sophomore album The First Days of Spring was accompanied by a film that spans the whole length of the record, directed by singer Charlie Fink, a theme the band have continued with their forthcoming fourth album Heart of Nowhere.
It goes without saying that after seven years as a band, a certain level of maturity comes to be expected; they can't be the same fresh-faced teens mooning about girls for their entire career. Or can they? While Heart of Nowhere might not have the same nostalgic overtones as the band's cathartic second foray, Fink still addresses lost-loves, albeit from a seemingly more level-headed perspective, asserting his own, and as a result the bands, inevitable maturity. This isn't only evident in Fink's lyricism, the album as a whole feels like the band have managed to finally eschew the confines of their own initial instrumentation to draw from a wealth of influences, from Bruce Springsteen to Talking Heads.
Titular track 'Heart of Nowhere' is a particular highlight and features guest vocals in the form of Anna Calvi which really propel the song from something listen-able in to something seriously special and is only out-shone by the following track 'All Through the Night', a gargantuan and uplifting affair which is highly indicative of the aforementioned Springsteen. A huge sounding chorus is juxtaposed expertly against delicate, synth adorned verses. 'One More Night' furthers the band's maturity as the whistles and claps of the bands first records have been completely done away with in favour of a darker, broodier aesthetic. The lyricism, on the other hand, is back to basics as Fink finds himself crooning over an ex who has moved on swifter than he has. Bless.
Whilst Heart of Nowhere is probably the bands strongest album to date, it could easily have been better. The musicianship found here is arguably at it's strongest and there is a distinct improvement in Fink's penmanship, as he tries to break the mould he's sealed himself in to. That said though there are still occasional moments of shakiness to be found and one can't help but wonder whether or not the record might have come across better if the occasional simple rhymes and clichéd lyricism weren't present at all. However, clichéd lines aside, the maturity of the band is undeniable, and is something they've managed to progress with, with each and every album since their 2008 début. Fans, both old and new, will find something they appreciate here, but those expecting it to be a carbon-copy of their earlier records will be disappointed. There are elements of the old Noah & the Whale here, but their hormones have finally calmed down, and their starting to realise that there I fact is more to life than girls.
Heart of Nowhere is out on May 6 and available from amazon