A Whale Of A Time

By Joe Kavanagh

There was a time when the words "folk music" conjured up images of bearded men swathed in woolen sweaters, harping on about crises from yesteryear, in the type of warbling voice that made the vocalists sound as if they were singing while gargling a mouthful of Listerine.

Although such shanty-fanciers do still exist, the world of folk music has undergone something of a glamorous makeover over the course of the past several years, as a host of hip young acts have cropped up on both sides of the Atlantic, determined to steer its image away from fair maidens with flaxen hair and crotchety crooners.

Indeed folk music, like most other musical categories in modern times, has splintered into a dizzying array of subgenres over the past couple of decades, as acts seek to put their own personal stamp on one of the oldest forms of music on earth.

So it is that in addition to plain old regular folk music, there are now a host of recognized subclasses such as folk-punk, neo-folk, urban-folk, psych-folk, anti-folk and even freak-folk, vying for the attentions of a market that has always enjoyed a large audience.

Although names like Devendra Banhart and Bonnie Prince Billy, in the US, and Kate Rusby, Beth Orton and Kate Walsh in the UK, have all attained creditable followings throughout the globe, none has yet managed to truly crossover into the mainstream.

That may soon change as folk has become cool once again and its success on the European side of the pond this year has been spearheaded by a precocious band of twentysomethings with a quirky name, who have been called - among other things - "the Blue Peter Pogues".

Charlie Fink was immersed in the nuances of folk music from his earliest days, with a mother who so loved the genre that he once claimed that: "Until I was about 14 she had me convinced that she'd written 'This Land is your Land' by Woody Guthrie."

Playing guitar from a young age, Fink began writing songs as a teenager, as he juggled his love of music with a similar passion for movies, but, never realistically viewed either field as a viable career option.

Instead, upon finishing high school he began a course in American Studies at Manchester University but found it unreservedly boring and dropped out within months to begin a journey of self-discovery around the Mediterranean and India.

On his travels, he spent a lot of time contemplating his next move and devising exactly what type of songwriter he wanted to be, and on his return to his home in London, he immediately began rehearsing with his drummer brother, Doug, and boyhood friend, Matt Urby, who played bass and harmonium.

The group initially played under the name Johnny Hatracket, until they decided that a name change was in order and, given Charlie's love of movies - which he readily confesses is greater than his love of music - the band decided to take their name from their favorite film, The Squid and the Whale, and the movie's director, Noah Baumbach, giving them their biblical sounding moniker: Noah And The Whale.

In May of 2007, the band recruited two more members in the form of Tom Hobden, on fiddle, and backup singer (and at the time Charlie's girlfriend) Laura Marling who is a considerable songwriter in her own right and of who, Charlie later claimed: "Laura was just perfect for me as we both brought to the table what the other one didn't have."

Taking their inspiration from punk rock and folk, they were also particularly influenced by names like Buddy Holly, Daniel Johnston, Jeffrey Lewis and Bob Dylan and equally determined that their band should have a cogent philosophy running through their work.

Songs would deal with epic, yet relatable, themes covering the spectrum of human emotions from youth, love and mortality, to pondering the afterlife and the very essence of existence.

Even their image was carefully conceived as they appeared almost exclusively in blue and yellow color schemes, often with regalia that included skintight jeans and cheap sunglasses.

In September of last year, they made their recorded debut with the launch of the irrepressibly catchy single, Five Years Time, which won abundant plaudits from critics but failed to make much of a commercial impact due to the limited resources of the label.

Those in the know, however, took notice of the infectiously catchy tune, which sounded like a ray of sunshine even as the lyrics offered only clouds.

The buzz began on the underground grapevine almost exclusively by word of mouth, before gaining traction on the internet, where beguiled fans blogged about their snappy tunes and an increasingly formidable live reputation, honed as the band traveled up and down the country on an uncompromising gigging schedule.

In fact, their agenda proved so arduous that Marling eventually had to call it quits as a fulltime member, in order to pursue fully the solo career that she had simultaneously kept going throughout her time in N&TW.

The parting, however, was entirely amicable, as evidenced by the fact that Charlie ended up producing her debut album, Alas I Cannot Swim.

It also proved a successful move for her as the album went on to secure a Mercury Music Prize nomination, and Marling still occasionally performs with the band when her schedule allows.

By year's end, N&TW found themselves on many of the critic's lists of 'Acts to watch for in 2008' and soon the major labels came knocking.

In the end, the band left their indie roots behind in favor of signing with Vertigo /Interscope, an act that some of the more purist elements of their fans almost unbelievably viewed as tantamount to treason.

This year has been all about consolidating their position as one of the brightest new bands on the scene, something they did with aplomb with the release of their debut album, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down, which hit shelves in August and has been gaining momentum ever since.

Backed with major label money, the band recently re-released Five Years Time, which soared into the UK's top ten and is now cautiously expected to be as big a hit on the other side of the Atlantic.

In fact, given their stated commitment to "cracking" the American market, many pundits are predicting that the track will emulate the success of Dexy's Midnight Runners' tune, Come On Eileen, with regard to success in the US but look for this band to become more that a one-hit wonder as they are already at work on a follow-up, which they hope to release in conjunction with a similarly themed movie.

Ambitious, intelligent and crafty-songwriters, this is a band that could become as big as the animal that adorns one half of their name, yet their feet remain firmly planted on terra firma, as evidenced by Charlie's recent statement, claiming: "It's the easiest thing to say and the hardest thing to prove, but when I started writing songs, I had no ambitions beyond creating something. It seems bizarre that we've been given access to this bigger audience. It's completely unintended. I'm not rejecting it, but I kind of don't mind if I lose it."

Thankfully, it might be some time before the final part of that statement achieves fruition.