ARTIST:
Noah and the Whale


ALBUM:
The First Days of Spring


KEY TRACKS:
Love of an Orchestra
The First Days of Spring
Stranger
Blue Skies

Noah and the Whale's current lineup

"Blue Skies are Coming, but I know that it's Hard"

Charlie Fink has had a hard time.  And if you can't sense it in his heartbroken lyrics, then listen to the sadness laced in his voice.  This guy's been through hell and it's all over this album.  

Of course, it hasn't been the easiest few years for this UK band with 2 members leaving the band:  one being Charlie's (now ex) girlfriend and more recently his brother.  And obviously it's an interesting turn that this band has taken.  Their up-beat, folksy harmonies that made them popular on their first album are gone.  Now slow and somber melodies take their place with Fink's tender and emotional vocals.  This break up between Charlie and fellow folk singer Laura Marling, did more than just shrink the band's number, it was the catalyst for this whole album.  

Noah and the Whale circa 2009

However saddening it may sound, there is such a raw intensity to these songs and in Fink's voice lies an incredible understanding of the human condition.  These lyrics are so personal (especially on Stranger)  that the listener is taken in frontman Charlie's emotional break up first hand.  

As the album progresses Noah and the Whale navigate the emotional highs and incredible lows of this vulnerable time.  The wild and hopeful strings on Love of an Orchestra, suggest optimism with Fink's voice rising above proclaiming, "I'll never be lonely, I've got songs in my blood".  

And with the wildly hopeful, there is overwhelming sadness.   Noah and the Whale captured this in the album's true gem Blue Skies.  "This is a song for anyone who would do anything to be happy", Fink croons amidst the lonely guitar strings.

And by the album, it seems Charlie has finally come to terms with this emotional turmoil, knowing that it will be okay...eventually.  Indeed, time does heal the majority of all emotional wounds, but it seems for this band, writing emotional melodies, with even more emotional lyrics is a form of healing as well.  

Truth be told, I miss the old Noah and the Whale.  I miss their happy "twee" melodies and folksy delivery.  But, to their credit, The First Days of Spring is a mature album that displays the incredible depth of this band as well as Fink's natural knack for sensitive lyrics.  And this band grows through line up changes, break ups, or other emotional turmoils it is interesting to see how their sound will change with them.   

LISTEN: BLUE SKIES | LOVE OF AN ORCHESTRA | STRANGER  | FIRST DAYS OF SPRING

  NEXT WEEK:   CAT POWER | The Greatest

ARTIST:
Massive Attack


ALBUM:
Heligoland


KEY TRACKS:
Paradise Circus
Pray for Rain
Saturday Come Slow
Girl I Love You


"But we like it when we're spinning in his grip"




Over the years I've listened to a whole lot of Massive Attack.  I mean a whole lot of Massive Attack.  So when I first heard this album I was somewhat shocked.  Of course, there are classic dark and gloomy undertones present throughout the album (it wouldn't be Massive Attack without them) but there's a certain lightness that's present here that I haven't exactly noticed in previous albums.  


Unlike MA's previous efforts like Mezzanine or Blue Lines, the beats aren't so heavy, the synths aren't as intense (save for Girl I Love You), and the lyrics aren't as breathless.  And so what remains is a booming orchestral sound not quite characteristic of these artists.  Although different, it's definitely a welcome and exciting change.  

Massive Attack in Concert

The hands-down standout track for me on the album is Paradise Circus.  (Many people probably recognize this from the famous strip club scene in TrueBlood season 3.)  The use of fluttering hand claps instead of traditional beats make this a unique track from the start.  All the while, the crisp piano notes interject every now and then to culminate the freshest sounding track I've heard in a while.  


But for me the true gem of the album is the opener Pray for Rain.  Now I'm a big TV on the Radio fan so the moment I heard lead singer Tunde Adebimpe's familiar croon I was intrigued.  This track builds and builds, making it the perfect opening track to set the tone of the album, until it bursts into perhaps the loveliest 45 seconds  I have ever heard.  The harmonics of 4:22 onward on this track are such a triumph that it is reason enough to love this album.


Lastly, Saturday Come Slow is a trip back to the familiar side of Massive Attack.  A bit sad, yet the strength and presence of the vocals here are mesmerizing.  This entrancing, enveloping sound is what has made Massive Attack both famous AND distinct.  Of the many electronic bands out there, Massive Attack is one of the few that have a defining sound.  
I've always liked Massive Attack, but I love this album. 

LISTEN NOW:  Pray for Rain  |  Paradise Circus  |  Girl I Love You  |  Saturday Come Slow

NEXT WEEK:  Noah and the Whale "The First Days of Spring"

ARTIST:

Broken Social Scene

ALBUM:

Forgiveness Rock Record

KEY TRACKS:

Meet Me in the Basement

Forced to Love

World Sick

"Well if you think about it, you're a fool, yeah."  

Broken Social Scene Circa 2006

The above mentioned lyric could not be more true about this dynamic (and enormous) ensemble from Canada.  Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning's Broken Social Scene have been around for quite a while, paving the way for other major acts like Stars and Feist.  What’s interesting to me about them is that despite the years and the constant flux of band members, BSS has managed still to maintain at its core a cohesive musical identity.  

All the sounds that originally drew fans in, are present in this most recent album: the understated lyrics (Ungrateful Little Father), fluttering strings, the distant guitar twangs (Highway Slipper Jam; Art House Director), and the ever present white noise of electronics buzzing in the background (All to All).  Although the lyrics are wonderful, for me the true beauty is in the lovely and understated instrumentals peppering the tracks.  

Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning

What I love most about BSS is that they’re not a cerebral band, It’s not a band that wants you to pick apart it’s lyrics.  It’s melodic, mysterious, and cryptic, without pushing it which adds more to the music.  It’s a mindset, a sense that everything is cool, everything is good.  Tying in with the above featured lyric, you’re a fool to spend your time listening simply for the lyric meaning when really the true beauty is in the lush melodies and vocals.  That being said, the true triumph of the album is the instrumental gem Meet Me in the Basement.  My god the drums in this track!  This album’s been out awhile now.  If you haven’t given yourself the pleasure of listening to it. DO.   

                                   LISTEN NOW:  Meet Me in the Basement  |  Forced to Love  |  Water in Hell

NEXT WEEK |  Massive Attack  |  Heligoland