It's not been a long time between albums for Noah & The Whale. It was only the second half of 2009 when they released their fantastic album First Days Of Spring. It was one of my favourite albums of 2009, managing to document in sometimes excruciating detail the breakup of frontman Charlie Fink from folk songstress Laura Marling. It was intimate, and personal, and brilliant. Which makes it a hard act to follow.
Last Night On Earth is a very different album. For starters it's much less personal, rather than baring his own soul again these songs are stories about other people. But apart from jumping the fence from autobiography to fiction the album is also coming from a different place emotionally. This is an album almost overflowing with hope.
Fink has mentioned that he wanted to write different kinds of songs, and he name checked some pretty big names in terms of influences; Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Tom Petty. It's a pretty high bar to set yourself as a songwriter, but impressively you can see not only the influence, but Fink manages to still make these songs sound uniquely his.
Lead single L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. is an upbeat, positive take on Walk On The Wild Side, with a similarly lovable collection of misfits. Waiting For My Chance To Come is so close to Tom Petty you keep expecting to see Tom Cruise singing along to it in the car. There's an easy cruising on the highway feel to the whole album.
Fink hasn't completely abandoned his musical autobiography though. Just Me Before We Met is a heart warming look at the hope that comes from a new relationship, and Give It All Back is a look back on the energy and excitement of being young, and in a rock band.
The greatest strength of these songs is their ability to put you in the moment. Whether it's fact or fiction you feel like you're right there in the story. It's a rare gift for any writer, and somewhat rarer in a songwriter. It worked to make the break up album one of the best of the form, and it works to make the hope that infuses this new album quite contagious.
Musically the band are trying new things too. With each album they move further from their folk roots. There's a lot of electronic instrumentation on Last Night On Earth, but despite that the album still manages to sound warm and natural. They even manage to make a marimba sound like a common rock instrument.
I would imagine Noah & The Whale will be out in Australia around Splendour time. Another band I'd love to see, given the opportunity. If I manage to see them I'll enjoy the songs from this album. I think they're good songs. But I'll still be hoping to hear the songs from First Days Of Spring more. I guess I'm not quite ready to move on.
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