14.
Noah And The Whale
Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down

A highly intelligent folk-pop album of real quality. I assume like most people, the first thing I came across by them was ‘Five Years Time’; an absolutely brilliant summer single, but not something I would’ve wanted a whole album of. As it is, though, that track is not really representative of the record, which is in general comprised of weightier offerings. The lyrics are a cut above the usual I love you/I miss you clichés of most bands, and the music is – I guess a bit like Ambrose Tompkins – at once both simple and inventive. Indeed, there are other similarities with that band here, including the interesting choice of instruments throughout and the overriding sense of fun. The presence of Laura Marling adds some class and charm to an already excellent mix. Hopeful and uplifting, pessimistic and cynical, this is grown-up pop. They deserve the airplay they’ve been getting. The second record could be a masterpiece.