Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down

British rockers Noah And The Whale

Indie-folk-rock band Noah And The Whale was formed by several musicians from Twickenham, London, in 2006. Two of the band members, Doug and Charlie, live there in the Coal Park Road, in which reside some British stars - concretely, the Mystery Jets soloist does. By the way, the creativity of Noah And The Whale and Mystery Jets are often compared. Is should be said that the original title Noah And The Whale was invented in order to depict the flavors of the artists - all the band members are big fans of director Noah Baumbach, while the second part of the title is taken from the directed by Baumbach film The Squid And The Whale. The musicians play the pleasant indie folk rock, calling among their major musical influences both folk and punk. They got many favorable reviews after performing at such significant British festivals as Leeds, Latitude, SXSW and world-popular Glastonbury. After a series of successful around the United Kingdom hits - 5 Years Time, 2 Bodies 1 Heart и Shape Of My Heart - Noah And The Whale decided to record the debut disc Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down. IT is worth mentioning that by that moment, two of the members left the collective - Laura Marling and Emmy The Great pushed their solo careers, although they still perform from time to time with the maternal band Noah And The Whale.

The unusual sound of Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down

The album starts with the cute and romantic, but up-tempo song 2 Atoms In A Molecule, in which vocalist Charlie Fink touchingly ponders about solitude. Jocasta, decorated with the violin play, became the pleasant number to which one can dance some folk dances. The album proceeds with the track Shape Of My Heart with the rich sound, on which the back vocals by Laura Marling is more than appropriate. The philosophic and sad slow-tempo composition Do What You Do is sure to be appreciated by the listeners for its violin tune, while the next rhythmic and dark Give A Little Love impresses with the drum play and handclaps. The unusual track Second Lover starts with the clock ticking, which becomes the main line of this melodic and tender song - it finishes with the unexpected and energetic guitar play burst. The hit 5 Years Time became the wonderful winding decoration of the album. The vocals by Charlie and Laura make a delicate and picturesque accordance. The danceable folk composition Rocks And Dagger will give a long-time charge of good mood and gladness to the audience in spite of the fact that it is followed by the melancholic title song Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down with the noticeable percussion and lullaby-like vocals by Charlie Fink. The reluctant and calm song Mary reminds the atmosphere of the preceding track. The album is closed with the soothing, penetrating acoustic guitar folk ballad Hold My Hands As I'm Lowered.

The whimsical eclectics and memorable tunes

Firstly, it should be said that the music by Noah And The Whale is highly original and recognizable. The artists use a wide array of instruments, including such unusual things as the glockenspiels and the most unpredictable types of the hand percussion like the egg shaker. Nevertheless, in their music such traditional instruments like the guitar, bass, flute, violin and the keyboards also firmly take their place. Such approach to performing gives a complicated multi-layered and rich sound, which makes Noah And The Whale prolific among other folk rock bands. In spite of the young age of both the group and its members - thus, soloist Charlie Fink is only twenty-one - their songs have the strong melody line and thoughtful lyrics. Besides, youth is the time of creative insights and daring experimentation, and this, undoubtedly, was embodied on the wonderful indie disc Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down. Having recommended themselves as the impressing live performers, Noah And The Whale wisely started to conquer the radio waves with a string of memorable singles. After that, the issue of the debut album was a step in the right direction - the enlarged audience gladly met it. For now, the artists plan to fascinate the USA with their folk music - supposedly, they will make a support tour for Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down around their performance at Lollapalooza. After listening to this work, everyone will sincerely wish them luck in their tour.