Charlie Fink, lead singer of Noah and the Whale, interrupted his set after three songs to explain to the crowd—in a devastatingly British way—that he had lost his voice while filming a movie to accompany the band’s latest album. Worst (or best) of all, he noted, throughout their recent tour, “no one seemed to care.” “Makes you feel valued,” he deadpanned.
If anything, Fink’s struggling voice added texture to Noah and the Whale’s music throughout a well paced and surprisingly rock ‘n roll thirteen-song set at the Paradise on Wednesday night. Note to aspiring musicians/mathematicians: slow love songs + trembling voice = vulnerable hero.
It takes a lot to open yourself up on stage, singing almost exclusively about love to a crowd of strangers while your brother and a couple friends play behind you. Luckily Fink has what it takes; he’s a solid songwriter and a total charmer on stage, riffing with the audience about birthday celebrations, promising to sing so sweetly to the crowd next time Noah and the Whale plays in Boston, and congratulating Boston on laying claim to Jonathan Richmond as a resident—all in between rollicking romps and slower ballads. The crowd turned out to hear Fink preach (although a sad majority missed out on awesome opener Anni Rossi‘s viola/singing/percussion one-woman band), and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such a high percentage of couples in a crowd.
If Fink is the personality pinnacle, Tom Hobden is the musical maestro. Alternating between piano and fiddle—with a turn on guitar included in the mix—his melodies drive Noah and the Whale forward. On slower tunes, his ivories add emotion to songs that might otherwise stagnate or bleed together. On faster songs, Hobden’s violin cuts through the storm of electric guitars and drums like a ray of light through clouds. He ties the group together from the background, helping differentiate Noah and the Whale from a million other lovesick quartets—comparisons to The National (tho’ a quintet) and Belle & Sebastian (septet) aren’t far off here thanks to Hobden’s hand.
Where many musical groups excel at one speed and falter at another, Noah and the Whale played very well on all manner of songs. They rocked harder than expected on the upbeat tracks, mastered the melodrama on slower tunes, and perhaps most impressively sounded sincere on a set full of love songs without seeming pretentious—no small feat. Yes, there were moments of weakness: Charlie’s voice at times struggled to hit higher notes on pitch; Doug Fink beat the brains out of his cymbals on “Give A Little Love,” and the set lulled a bit on a run of new tunes. But there were moments of brilliance as well: “5 Years Later” was predictably a highlight; new song “Our Window” was slow and beautiful; and the punchy encore cover of the Smiths’ “Girlfriend In A Coma” rocked the house. Noah and the Whale plugged in, turned on, and put on a great show.
Perhaps the best indication of the vibe of the show was foreshadowed by Charlie Fink himself. On one of the band’s stronger tracks, “2 Atoms In A Molecule,” he missed a few vocal notes as the band played on around him. And, wonderfully, not one person in the crowd seemed to care.
DOWNLOAD: Noah and the Whale - Girlfriend in a Coma (Smiths cover) (MP3) or Follow us for more Noah and the Whale MP3s (Twitter)
Probably johnston has wrote a excellent article for the readers and are excellent photographs and thanks for sharing your thoughts
by fake tattoo on Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 10.03 pm from the entry: The Reverend Horton Heat + Nekromantix – Wonder Ballroom (Portland, OR; Jul. 9, 2009)
ha, yes! the photogs in the front row were drooling throughout the entire set…
by chris on Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 01.05 pm from the entry: Washed Out + Small Black - Mercury Lounge (New York, NY; Mar. 7, 2010)
nice pics Chris. Don’t you love it when the artist brings some cool light. It’s a bunch of low hanging fruit after that.
by colin on Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 12.53 pm from the entry: Washed Out + Small Black - Mercury Lounge (New York, NY; Mar. 7, 2010)
WOMP WOMP WOMP WOMP WOMP
by BASSHEAD on Tue Mar 9, 2010 at 04.02 pm from the entry: Ginuwine's "Pony" Deconstructed Through Dubstep (Remix)
James,
E-mail me: info@jaredfroiland.com
Thanks!
by Jared Froiland on Tue Mar 9, 2010 at 12.37 am from the entry: State Radio - Showbox (Seattle, WA; Jan.19, 2010)
Check out a sick interview back\slash Magazine did with LMFAO about how they blew up in a down economy, the struggles of entrepreneurship, and getting high.
Here is the link: http://www.backslashonline.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=317:lmfao-entrepreneurship-interview&Itemid=56
by Mike McComack on Mon Mar 8, 2010 at 10.24 pm from the entry: Photo Feature! Black Eyed Peas + Ludacris + LMFAO - TD BankNorth Garden (Boston, MA; Feb. 26, 2010)
Life was better in the 909
by ari on Mon Mar 8, 2010 at 10.21 pm from the entry: 3 songs off Lupe's new record unveiled in Claremont, CA
love the description of how Fink interacted with the crowd, and good critique of the low points too. Way to go Chris and Jane!
I love these photos! Fink is like a prettier version of that Mystery Jets guy. I’m really diggin’ their sound, too.
I was there! It was an awesome show!