The First Days of Spring

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The First Days of Spring
Studio album by Noah and the Whale

Publication
(s)

2009

Label (s) Vertigo Records , Cherrytree Records

Format (s)

CD

Genre (s)

Indie folk , indie rock , folk rock

Title (number)

11

running time

42:53

occupation

production

Emery Dobyns

chronology
Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down
(2008) 		The First Days of Spring Last Night on Earth
(2011)
Noah and the Whale 2010

The First Night of Spring is the second studio album by British folk rock and indie band Noah and the Whale . It was released on August 31, 2009 and peaked at number 16 on the UK charts. The single Blue Skies reached 95th place.

history

In 2009 the band began playing some songs that were later to be recorded for The First Days of Spring at concerts. When the band returned to the studio, they decided to forego female backing vocals due to Charlie Fink's split from Laura Marling .

A 47-minute short film was shot for the album, in which the songs from the album were converted into a continuous story. The separation of Finks and Marlings is discussed again and again in the texts of The First Day of Spring , Fink wrote all the songs in first-person narrative form . In addition to the more melancholy lyrics compared to the first album, a second change took place: The initial music style, which was based on indie folk , developed into indie rock - a change that became even more evident with the third album, Last Night on Earth .

Three days before the album was released, drummer (and brother Charlie Finks) Doug Fink left the band to pursue a career as a doctor. He was succeeded by ex- Pull Tiger Tail drummer Jack Hamson.

The first single was released on August 26, 2009, Blue Skies , which reached 95th place in the UK charts and was used in the TV series One Tree Hill and in the film The Descendants . Blue Skies serves as one of the main themes of the album, part of the song can already be heard in Our Window . The song can also be heard in the trailer for The First Days of Spring .

Track list

All tracks on the album were written by Charlie Fink.

  1. "The First Days of Spring" - 6:39
  2. "Our Window" - 5:48
  3. "I Have Nothing" - 2:43
  4. "My Broken Heart" - 5:11
  5. "Instrumental I" - 1:33
  6. "Love of an Orchestra" - 2:03
  7. "Instrumental II" - 1:36
  8. "Stranger" - 5:18
  9. "Blue Skies" - 4:08
  10. "Slow Glass" - 3:18
  11. "My Door Is Always Open" - 4:35

reception

medium Rating
Allmusic
The Guardian
Rolling Stone
The Observer
NME
Sputnik Music
MusicOMH
Pitchfork Media 5.2 / 10
Spin

The First Days of Spring was generally well received. Andrew Leahey wrote for the Allmusic Guide :

"With music serving as his therapy, Fink fills The First Days of Spring with lush soundscapes and folksy melancholy, finding the beauty that exists in the neutral territory between both camps. (...) her (Laura Marlings) influence permeates the album, from Fink's disillusioned lyrics to the band's vacillations between elated anthems and intimate, disconsolate ballads. "

"With music as therapy, Fink fills The First Days of Spring with lush background noise and folky melancholy, he finds the beauty that exists in the neutral territory between the two. (...) their (Laura Marling's) influences permeate the album, von Finks disaffected text to the wavering of the band between encouraging hymns and desolate ballads. "

Leahey awarded four out of five possible points for the album.

Leonie Cooper of the New Musical Express wrote in her review:

"It's yet more proof that the quirky band with that perky tune haven't disappeared, but they have done a hell of a lot of growing up. An immense album."

"This is proof that the quirky band with the perky melodies hasn't gone away, but they have grown up very much. An immense album."

Cooper awarded nine out of ten points.

Craig McLean wrote the following for the Observer :

"This is a beautiful album. Moving rather than maudlin, uplifting rather than depressing. (...) Here is a song-painter (Charlie Fink) blessed with huge talent."

"This is a beautiful album. More moving than maudlin, more uplifting than depressing. (...) Here is a song painter (Charlie Fink) who has been blessed with a huge talent."

McLean rated The First Days of Spring four out of five.

The Guardian's Dorian Lynskey wrote in his review:

"Despite its shortcomings, The First Days of Spring marks a welcome escape from such labels as" quirky "and" twee ", with a musical maturity that requires only an equivalent lyrical magic to amount to something truly special."

"Despite some weaknesses, The First Days of Spring marks a welcome escape from labels like 'cranky' and 'twee', with a musical maturity that only needs equivalent lyrical magic to match something so special."

Lynskey rated the album three out of five.

swell

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