Review Summary: "Noah and the Whale go Broadway!" ...or something along those lines.
Charlie Fink will not write the same record twice. Since the 2006 inception of his indie-rock troupe, Noah and the Whale, Mr. Fink and company have provided listeners with a rather diverse plethora of music. Their 2008 debut entitled
Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down garnered all sorts of attention for the band via cutesy lyrics and catchy melodies. Transitioning a generally upbeat and positive complexion with slightly more melancholy moments, the debut cemented Noah and the Whale as a distinctive and potent force in the indie scene. One year later marked the release of their second LP,
The First Days of Spring, which took an entirely different musical approach. Folky guitars, optimistic songwriting, and perky sing-alongs were suddenly a thing of the past for Fink. Heartache had surely grabbed ahold of him and it showed, both in the record's lyrics and in its undeniably mournful tone. With the release of their third record,
Last Night On Earth, Noah and the Whale have once again diverged from their previous sounds, creating a generally upbeat concept album with wholly new sound influences.
NatW's refurbished sound becomes obvious ten seconds into the album's opening track. The band that began their debut record with a catchy, quirky guitar line and timid vocals has now turned to spacey synthesizers, along with a much more confident voice from Fink. Choral group singing, an asset that the band used sparingly but effectively on their first two releases, now stands as a centerpiece on many of
Last Night On Earth's songs. This amendment, along with a more electronic based sound, come together in an interesting way. Quite frankly, the record's sound closely resembles that of a Broadway musical, both in production and in structure. Simple, story-telling lyrics alongside predictable but melodious choruses make
Last Night On Earth feel like the soundtrack to a popular modern play. It is most certainly a vast change, although whether it is for better or worse is difficult to determine.
This album tells the stories of certain individuals growing up, growing old and then looking back on the lives they've lived. One is a young man who runs away from the confines of his old life to pursue something greater - namely, forming a band and essentially trying to be Bruce Springsteen. Another person in the story is Lisa, an optimistic "rock-n-roll survivor" who lives each day with a no-regrets, carpe diem attitude. Whatever Charlie Fink's inspiration was in creating these characters isn't too clear, and their relationships to each other within the whole story are a tough to pigeonhole. Perhaps the record is an indirect narrative of his more youthful days with its characters being representations of influential people in his life, but it is hard to tell. All in all, Fink's storytelling is a tad bit disappointing. Disjointed and choppy, it is certainly not the record's strong point, nor is it lyrically up to par with his previous endeavors.
Rather, the magic and allure of
Last Night On Earth lies in its production and highly enjoyable listening value. Its songs are generally fun and catchy, with each chorus effectively evoking the listener's urge to sing along. The production of this album assists greatly in bringing the whole thing together and results in an end product that is truly easy to enjoy. Noah and the Whale are once again able to seamlessly segue between excitable, happy melodies and more melancholy tunes, with the first half of the record taking on a very optimistic sound before the gloomier second half. I suppose, in a way, that
Last Night On Earth can be seen as an amalgamation of NatW's first two records, yet with a revamped symphonic sound and some serious modifications in production. The outcome isn't exactly what one would expect to hear from the beloved indie rockers, but who really knows what to expect from them these days?Â* It seems they have quite the knack for surprising their listeners without failing to impress in the process.
It isn't easy to know what exactly to make of this new sound. On one hand, it's refreshing and interesting, taking the listener down a musical path unfamiliar to the band's previous efforts. On the other hand, it can be seen as a flimsy sound change, with too many borrowed ideas that merely fail to take root for Noah and the Whale. Either way, this album is another addition to their discography that will keep listeners satisfied. More than that, fans will most certainly be on their toes as to where the group ventures next in terms of their music.
When all is said and done,
Last Night on Earth is simply another good record from Noah and the Whale. While the lyrics may fall a bit short, other factors in the record's production step in to make up for it. Whether or not they are still the band that wrote such cheerful tunes as "5 Years Time" or heartfelt confessionals like "Stranger" is up for question. Nonetheless, NatW's third LP stands as another solid offering from a band still striving to find their own distinctive sound.
