Noah and The Whale – Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down

Noah and The Whale have made quite a name for themselves on the indie-circuit as of late. ‘Twee' is a word often used to describe their own specific brand of romantic anti-folk: a description hardly surprising when debut album Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down boasts a ukulele, hand-claps, trembling violin strings, romantic folk tales, whistling, a cowbell and fellow anti-folk artist Laura Marling on backing vocals.Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down is a collection of simple and uplifting songs about love, death and time. Penned and demoed in dark bedrooms in Twickenham and Manchester this album is anything but dark. Despite tales of awkward and isolated love, the melodies are instantly uplifting and reassuring.Album opener ‘2 Atoms in a Molecule' is a cheery, clap-along ditty that addresses the actually fearful concept of being alone. It seems to be a new, more invigorating take on a previous single of theirs ‘2 Bodies, 1 Heart' as vocalist Charlie Fink repeats the lines "like two atoms in molecule/Inseparably combined."‘Rocks and Daggers' provided a faultless combination of striking minimalist vocals and instrumentals building into an energetic foot-tapping climax. And while ‘Mary' is not such an instant, feel good song; it has actually become one of my favourite tracks on the record. Laura Marling's subtle backing vocals give weight to Fink's lyrics as they describe a failing relationship. "She tried to kiss me and I said don't bother/ You know we don't really love one another," sings Fink over the delicate glockenspiel and lightly strummed ukulele.‘Give a Little Love' is instantly catchy, as the drums, hand-claps, guitar and trembling violin crescendo towards the epic chorus that has Charlie and Laura singing, "If you give a little love/ You can get a little love of your own." Fink's carefully crafted lyrics make the simplest sentiment seem like a revelation, as he encourages us to enjoy this fleeting life. Single ‘5 Years Time' opens with eminently catchy whistling; calypso-esque ukulele strums follow as Fink begins to tell of what might happen to a relationship over the course of 5 years. They could be walking around a zoo, or laughing at each others' "silly little jokes," or of cause the whole things could go horribly wrong, but that's way too negative for a song that repeats the word "love" 38 times and seems to cause an instant flow of serotonin into the brain.Peaceful, The World the Lays Me Down is an instrumentally diverse debut, but it retains a beautiful simplicity that makes these romantic Londoners so loveable. Noah and the Whale may not be for those who turn away in disgust at all things cute and twee, but just one listen will instantly put a smile on anyone's face. 86%Links Noah and The Whale [myspace]