Albums Of The Year 2009: The First Days Of Spring by Noah And The Whale A lot of the best albums are break-up albums. Whether that’s because musicians only have time on their hands when their relationships are on the rocks, or because it’s just better fodder for album material, break-ups produce the best albums. The First Days Of Spring is an oustanding example of the genre (if you can call it a genre - it seems a little callous). The break-up in question is that of Charlie Fink, the lead singer, and Laura Marling. Her absence both in the solid sense of their being no female vocals, and in the sense of her being the subject of a lot of the songs, makes this a very different album from 2008’s Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down. Not only that, but it’s in a different league of quality. Peaceful…’s a fun little album, poppy bright and enjoyable, but ..Spring is an accomplished work of art. Although the album’s much darker, it’s not dark throughout, and there are moments of fun poppiness, such as Love Of An Orchestra, and, to a lesser extent, Blue Skies, both of which are outstanding tracks. However, it’s a proper, complete, listen-to-it-in-one-go album. And a great, great one at that. Spotify Link

Albums Of The Year 2009: The First Days Of Spring by Noah And The Whale

A lot of the best albums are break-up albums. Whether that’s because musicians only have time on their hands when their relationships are on the rocks, or because it’s just better fodder for album material, break-ups produce the best albums.

The First Days Of Spring is an oustanding example of the genre (if you can call it a genre - it seems a little callous). The break-up in question is that of Charlie Fink, the lead singer, and Laura Marling. Her absence both in the solid sense of their being no female vocals, and in the sense of her being the subject of a lot of the songs, makes this a very different album from 2008’s Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down. Not only that, but it’s in a different league of quality. Peaceful…’s a fun little album, poppy bright and enjoyable, but ..Spring is an accomplished work of art.

Although the album’s much darker, it’s not dark throughout, and there are moments of fun poppiness, such as Love Of An Orchestra, and, to a lesser extent, Blue Skies, both of which are outstanding tracks. However, it’s a proper, complete, listen-to-it-in-one-go album. And a great, great one at that.

Spotify Link