Charlie Fink, lead singer of Noah and the Whale, interrupted his set after three songs to explain to the crowd -- in a devastatingly British way -- that he had lost his voice while filming a movie to accompany the band's latest album. Worst (or best) of all, he noted, throughout their recent tour, "no one seemed to care." "Makes you feel valued," he deadpanned.
If anything, Fink's struggling voice added texture to Noah and the Whale's music throughout a well paced and surprisingly rock 'n roll thirteen-song set at the Paradise on Wednesday night. Note to aspiring musicians/mathematicians: slow love songs + trembling voice = vulnerable hero.
It takes a lot to open yourself up on stage, singing almost exclusively about love to a crowd of strangers while your brother and a couple friends play behind you. Luckily Fink has what it takes; he's a solid songwriter and a total charmer on stage, riffing with the audience about birthday celebrations, promising to sing so sweetly to the crowd next time Noah and the Whale plays in Boston, and congratulating Boston on laying claim to Jonathan Richmond as a resident -- all in between rollicking romps and slower ballads. The crowd turned out to hear Fink preach (although a sad majority missed out on awesome opener Anni Rossi's viola/singing/percussion one-woman band), and I don't know that I've ever seen such a high percentage of couples in a crowd.
If Fink is the personality pinnacle, Tom Hobden is the musical maestro. Alternating between piano and fiddle -- with a turn on guitar included in the mix -- his melodies drive Noah and the Whale forward. On slower tunes, his ivories add emotion to songs that might otherwise stagnate or bleed together. On faster songs, Hobden's violin cuts through the storm of electric guitars and drums like a ray of light through clouds. He ties the group together from the background, helping differentiate Noah and the Whale from a million other lovesick quartets -- comparisons to The National (tho' a quintet) and Belle & Sebastian (septet) aren't far off here thanks to Hobden's hand.
Where many musical groups excel at one speed and falter at another, Noah and the Whale played very well on all manner of songs. They rocked harder than expected on the upbeat tracks, mastered the melodrama on slower tunes, and perhaps most impressively sounded sincere on a set full of love songs without seeming pretentious -- no small feat. Yes, there were moments of weakness: Charlie's voice at times struggled to hit higher notes on pitch; Doug Fink beat the brains out of his cymbals on "Give A Little Love," and the set lulled a bit on a run of new tunes. But there were moments of brilliance as well: "5 Years Later" was predictably a highlight; new song "Our Window" was slow and beautiful; and the punchy encore cover of the Smiths' "Girlfriend In A Coma" rocked the house. Noah and the Whale plugged in, turned on, and put on a great show.
Perhaps the best indication of the vibe of the show was foreshadowed by Charlie Fink himself. On one of the band's stronger tracks, "2 Atoms In A Molecule," he missed a few vocal notes as the band played on around him. And, wonderfully, not one person in the crowd seemed to care.
