Noah And The Whale – Last Night On Earth

Born of the British nu-folk scene, and oft heralded as one of the key players, Noah and The Whale are somewhat defined by a genre. Perhaps understandable then that for third album Last Night On Earth, singer/songwriter Charlie Fink has chosen to take a slight departure.

He sets the agenda with a series of perfectly-formed anthemic pop numbers, occasionally verging on the evangelically upbeat with their carpe diem motifs. But at times, it’s just too polished: case in point being first single L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. and its character-by-character chant of the song title, or the overly buoyant, gospel-backed opener Life Is Life.

If Fink’s talents lie anywhere, it’s still in the folkier, more introspective numbers, like the brooding, fiddle-backed Just Me Before We Met, or slow-burner Wild Thing, which unfurls around drugged vocals of tangled hair, bruises, and bloody knees. Ultimately, the dual personality of this record will, for some, make it worthy of investigation, but for others render it a disjointed experience. [Anna Docherty]