metric reflection

Missed in ’08: Noah and the Whale

2008, as alluded to below, was a really awesome year for music.  It was so great, in fact, that as 2009 crouches before the gun, I’m still sorting through everything I found in 2008.  So for the next few weeks/months, I’ll do an occasional series on great albums I never really talked about last year.

First up, Noah and the Whale:

2008 was the year I got into folk rock in a big way.  I’ve dabbled, at times, in the twangin’ banjos of Appalachia (mostly through the amazing Smithsonian Folk Music Anthology) but it was always a bit showy – not something you sit down to enjoy, but a piece that you think about, research and discuss, like a Joyce book.  It was difficult to see folk’s place in modern music (particularly rock) except as an extra shine.  But with bands like Pretend You’re Happy, Gentleman Auction House, and, as a bit of a precursor, Sufjan Stevens’ work, it’s obvious that there’s a way to integrate and highlight folk music without it seeming showy or gimmicky.

Noah and the Whale are one of these bands, connoisseurs of resurrecting the dying sounds of the canyons and plains.  Their approach is spiced with an English charm, which throws an additional lilt into the mix. Ironically, the song below, “5 Years Time” is about enjoying the present, because no one knows what will happen in 5 years.  It rides a mandarin rhythm.  The melody is backed with a flute, with sometimes backup singer Laura Marling helping out (most songs feature a violin navigating the melody line).