In the Belly of the Whale

Like Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale — the 2005 film that inspired its name — Noah and the Whale work some tunes that are equal parts bitter and sweet.

The British folk-rockers showcase lead singer Charlie Fink’s manic-depressive approach to a tune on their debut, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down (out today). Bright arrangements balance weighty narratives as catchy as they are unnerving. Spry fiddles and accordions contrast a mother's grief in the Oedipus-referencing "Jacosta." Love goes to its grave in "Hold My Hand as I'm Lowered" — a stark ballad for which Coldplay's Chris Martin would burn his Make Trade Fair membership. Even the lightest track sneaks in some darkness: over a hand-clapping chorus of “Sun, sun, sun!/Love, love, love!,” Fink concedes that passion, no matter how ardent, expires in “5 Years Time.” Through it all, Laura Marling's lovely purr adds elegant counterpoint to Fink's plaintive baritone.

We're not gonna candy-coat it for you: You want froth, turn on the radio. You want drama, rent the movie. But for some deep, challenging music, Noah and Whale’s Fink is your man.

Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down is available today from Interscope/Cherrytree Records.

Bookmark this article

MORE TUNES ON MODERN TONIC

Home Alone

It’s a good thing Dido’s voice is so soothing, because everything in her world — family, life, love — is unsettled. After a five year break, the silken voice of ... more

Hurricane Grace

If your freak flag needs an emblem, you’d do no better than the iconic head of Grace Jones. At 60, Jones remains the ferocious dominatrix who gave the hedonistic ‘... more

Harder Candy

The sly boys and girl of the ferociously poptastic Dragonette aren’t a country band, but oh do they know about your cheating heart: “Here I come when I better go / I ... more

Radio GaGa

Lady GaGa is as gay as a human being can get without having a penis. Flaunting a style that’s pure drag, the former NYC club kid’s first two singles (“Just Dance,” &... more

Love to Love You, Baby

As everyone knows, the French invented sex. Did not, you say? To which our Gallic friends would respond: If we did not invent it, then we absolutely perfected it. And ... more

New Zealand Is Burning

Sweden has imported as many pop singers as they have Ikea stores: Robyn, Lykke Li, Jens Lekman, the list goes on. But New Zealand? Only the zany folkies of Flight of ... more