Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Ukelele UK collective Noah and the Whale do more than island rhythms, my friends.  I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews of the band that formerly had Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn, and I have to say that my views on their most recent album to be quite….well, mixed.  There are moments are sheer brilliance–”5 Years Time” is an unabashedly exquisite and cheery folk-pop song whose recurring whistle has seeped passed my blood brain barrier and has fully noursihed me.  But then again, there are a couple of utter lows as well — “Give A Little Love” is just plain hard to listen to.

And with any album that vacillates between good and bad, there are a good number of tracks that please but don’t impress.  “2 Atoms in A Molecule” also runs on pure happiness, without any ethanol additives.  “Rocks and Daggers” exposes the limits of singer Charlie Fink, but also makes it pretty endearing in a strange way. An added bonus is the collaboration with a former member of the band, one Laura Marling! Though I have to say that it doesn’t sound like she had much of a role in crafting these songs other than her stunning vocals.

See what had the Brits all in a tizzy last year! Get a copy of Noah and the Whale’s Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down.

Listen to “5 Years Time”

Listen to “2 Atoms in a Molecule“