Noah And The Whale always seem to find a way to give their musical offerings an artistic edge, and today proves to be no exception. The band premiere a brand new documentary film entitled ‘The Making of Last Night On Earth’ via their new online cinema today at 5pm(GMT).
To book your online ‘seat’ for this event, simply click here. The premiere will be followed by an exclusive webchat with the band at 7pm (GMT).
The sophomore album is a perplexing phenomenon, perhaps even more so when your debut release has been subject to the coveted title of ‘critically acclaimed’. In the world of contemporary London folk music, the second album syndrome has produced some gemstones over the past couple of years, notably BRIT-winner Laura Marling’s I Speak Because I Can and Noah And The Whale’s heartbreakingly beautiful The First Days of Spring.
After a two year wait, then, and based on the performance of her peers, expectations for the follow up to Emmy The Great‘s 2009 debut have been justifiably high. Luckily for the world and its inhabitants, those expectations are both met and exceeded in Virtue, released through Close Harbour Records on 13 June.
The sonically experimental opening sequence of ‘Dinosaur Sex’ followed by the stark lyrical observation that “dinosaur sex led to nothing, maybe I will lead to nothing” settles you back into the perceptive honesty of an Emmy The Great record wonderfully. Later, ‘Paper Forest’ and ‘Cassandra’ showcase effortless charm and downright cleverness in truly spectacular style. Marking the close of the album, ‘North’ and ‘Trellick Tower’ reveal a beautiful new fragility to Emmy’s songwriting craft, highlighting a change in pace from the rhythmic, anti-folk inspired ditties of previous album First Love.
Virtue is a satisfying listen to say the least. Emmy The Great is still bold, vibrant and intelligent – not that we ever expected anything less, of course.
Ahead of Virtue‘s release, a brand new track called ‘Century of Sleep’ is available for free download below.
Half-English, half-Italian and Swiss-educated, the nomadic Jack Savoretti has returned to British shores recently after a stint in America recording and promoting new material. I had the privilege of interviewing Jack back in 2009, and he seems to have been a busy bee since then with tracks featured on hit TV shows One Tree Hill, Greek and Grey’s Anatomy in the USA.
With the announcement of a third album in the works, Jack has just released a video for a brand new track called ‘Come Shine A Light’. It’s a lovely little montage, created by the super-talented Maria Armengou. Check it out below.
