Of course everybody’s heard of the folky Ark builder and his sea dwelling mammalian friend from the huge success of 5 Years Time, which incidentally sold a boat load of copies and reached number 7 in the UK singles chart.

Those same people have probably spent the last three years scratching their heads and wondering “Where did Noah and the Whale go?”  Well- nowhere really. They released the album The First Days of Spring and an accompanying film in 2009 which sadly lacked the commercial success of their debut. The film documented the break up of lead-singer Charlie and (now super-famous Brit Award winner) Laura Marling, and the subsequent departure from the band of the petite songstress.

This latest offering is a more grown up version of what we’ve come to love Noah and the Whale for. The sense of adventure is still there, as well of the sense of anything being possible, as the album title suggests. Some of the tracks like ‘The Line’ are simple yet heart-warming, others such as ‘L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N’  and ‘Waiting For My Chance To Come’ are more upbeat and complex which gives the album an intruiging contrast and depth.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGUEelmzxo

The album’s first release, ‘L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N’ is a fabulous sing-along- well, once you’ve managed to get the letters in the right order anyway. The tone is positive- ‘Things sort themselves out in the end’  echoed by  lines such as: “What you don’t have now will come back again” . It’s fairly safe to say this is the stand-out track and definitely deserves it’s place as the album’s first single release.

You can also hear the notable influences from their time spent recording across the pond on Last Night on Earth, the accent of lead-singer Charlie being the most obvious. There more subtle nuances including a slightly more indified sound, with  a couple of tracks reminiscent of The Killers, such as ‘The Line’ and ‘Wild Thing’. There is also Tom Waits influenced track ’Tonight’s The Kind of Night’.

You can really feel a sense of progression, growth and a new level of maturity on this album that reflects within the band. With  new competition from the like of Mumford and Sons it’s understandable- and perhaps smart- that the band have chosen a new direction. Overall Last Night on Earth is very competent album, however  it could do with just one  extra track with the same intensity as ‘Love of An Orchestra’. And thought we don’t want to say it, the recording lacks a little something that else-wise Laura Marling’s exquisite tones would have added previously added.

RATING: 4/5, so close to being a lazy-day masterpiece.
BEST TRACKS: L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N, The Line, Just Before We Met
LISTEN TO: If you like your folk folky, or by way of Arcade Fire.

Young and Lost Club released Last Night On Earth on Mercury from March 7th. Listen to their exclusive track ‘The Last DJ’, here…