The First Days of Spring

Significant changes in style and mood

The London band Noah And The Whale playing wonderful indie-folk is one of the youngest and most promising in Great Britain among the genre representatives. The audience that saw its live performances remembered at once the non-standard percussion, romantic lyrics, many-faceted orchestra arrangements, to say nothing of the band’s name itself. Last year its debut creation Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down saw the light of the day, following some successful singles which quickly conquered European and American radio stations. The record did not only please with beautiful tunes, smart lyrics and harmonious accompaniments, but also with the contrasting male and female vocals sounding. Just a bit more than a year later this young collective is ready to please us with its sophomore effort The First Days Of Spring. No doubt the second work is the debut’s worthy continuation and the given bar is not lowered for a single millimeter. Yet the significant changes in style and mood are but obvious and one simply cannot ignore them.

The conceptual album about breakup The First Days Of Spring

Regarding such a short interval between the works one could suppose that the guys had had so many songs that they had to divide them into two albums, and then, on the whole, the material of both would turn out similar. Nevertheless, it is clear from the very first sounds of The First Days Of Spring that this is a completely different story. The point is that this is a conceptual album about breakup, and although the theme is far from new it seems that nobody has told about it in such a heartfelt way. Musically some changes also take place: this time the guys have decided not to insert female backing vocals, probably, with the purpose to underline the loneliness of a man without a woman. The vocalist Charlie Fink’s wonderfully rich low voice leads us into the world of unusual images, joined into the general picture – in fact the guys have even shot a film for the songs, so vivid they are. The album opens with the first single and the title track starting with volume strikes, pleasing with a guitar accompaniment and the most soulful fiddles. A splendid piano number Our Window proves to be one of the saddest while one cannot help hearing a weak hope sounding in the brass on a more rhythmic composition My Broken Heart. The record also pleases with two amazing instrumental tracks Instrumental I and Instrumental II, true masterpieces of chamber music, rendering the protagonist’s changeable mood. One cannot but notice the songs Stranger – a new life after the breakup is starting on it – and the second Blue Skies for which a video is shot, with a contagious rhythm and lyrics making one reflect. The album closes with My Door Is Always Open from which it is clear that the lyrical character is still in love and waiting even though he understands that it is over.

Noah And The Whale’s rich, deep, harmonious music

Breakup in Noah And The Whale’s rendering is a very important time in a person’s life, when a multitude of changes happens and all of them are connected with the ending of one life and the beginning of another. Therefore one should not only see the sad side when a relationship is over – in fact it is right about any other event – there are new acquaintances waiting in future, new love, new happiness, the main thing being not to lose your hope. This dualism is what explains the polar emotions of happiness and sadness expressed in the songs on The First Days Of Spring. At the same time the compositions’ protagonist finds endless encouragement and peace in music, which makes one comprehend each song as positive, constructive and joy bringing even if some sad lyrics sounds in it – this is a light sadness. The main value of Noah And The Whale’s creative work is still music, rich, deep, built upon the most varied instruments harmonies. So we are only left to thank Charlie Fink and his friends for such a soulful album as The First Days Of Spring and wait for their following masterpieces.