Noah and The Whale 'The First Days of Spring'

If you had told me, at the start of this year, that by the end of summer we will have a shimmering, gloriously melancholic, orchestral masterpiece released, I would have struggled to have guessed that it would have come from Noah and The Whale. Nice though their upbeat, chirpy debut album was, there was simply no sign that they were in any way likely to make a record like this.

'The First Days of Spring' is a concept record, documentating the last days and aftermath of singer Charlie Fink's relationship with his girlfriend (who by all accounts, was Laura Marling). Fink has written a fine set of lyrics that document despair, confusion, heartbreak, reflection and finally, hope. He sings these words with a calm assurance, sounding at times a little like Bill Callahan and indeed some of the songs remind me of mid-period Smog.

The words alone would make a fine poetry collection, but luckily for us music fans, Noah and The Whale, along with a choir, orchestra and string section have combined to make Fink's concept into a beautifully arranged, evocative and uplifting piece of music, perhaps the best released so far this year.

The record is split into three distinct sections. The opening four songs document the end of the relationship. The title track sets the scene, building into a Tindersticks-style orchestral epic whilst Fink ponders his life at a crossroads("I do believe everyone has one chance to fuck up their life"), 'Our Window', with the sound of rain hitting the window occasionally in the background, is slow and mournful, piano-led, the sound of a couple on the verge of a split, both looking the other way. Its the most heartbreaking and desolate track here, especially Fink's refrain "its been a while, since I've stared at the stars".

After another couple of tracks with the same feel, a change is needed and we certainly get one! A couple of lush instrumentals bookend 'Love Of An Orchestra' which is rich with strings and a choir, completely overblown and utterly joyful.

The third section of the album looks to the future. After the slightly subdued 'Stranger', Fink searches for optimism and happiness on the graceful 'Blue Skies' which he introduces as a song for "anyone with a broken heart". He sounds most like Callahan on this track, wounded and hurt in the verses but lifting himself for the "Blue skies are calling" in the chorus. The record ends with 'My Door Is Always Open', lyrically reaching closure and peace and musically resisting the urge for a big orchestral finish but finding something just as uplifting, although understated.

'The First Days of Spring' is an extremely accomplished piece of work. Sure, its sad and melancholy but it is never, ever depressing or miserable...either tugging at your heartstrings or being uplifting and joyful. I haven't been able to stop playing this since I received it. Its a very bold attempt to produce something fully formed, rich and adventurous, without sounding overblown or ridiculous. They completely succeed. Noah and the Whale must stand a very good chance of winning the Mercury Prize for 2010. This is the finest British album I have heard in a long, long time.

[this was reviewed from a promo. 'First Days of Spring' is out on August 31st on cd and cd/dvd (more on the dvd soon) via Mercury]