Saturday October 24, 2009 at 17:57
Noah and the Whale/ Love of an Orchestra
This was definitely one of the best songs from the set I saw Thursday night. I had the pleasure of watching Noah and the Whale at the Swedish American Hall, upstairs from Cafe du Nord. The venue was sort of a let down, as I was expecting something like the downstairs set up, with a loungey bar and low lights. Instead we found ourselves in a ballroom set up more like the staging of a school play, complete with fold-up chairs, an alcohol-free snack bar, and lots of loud and overzealous teenagers. The music was amazing, though, regardless of the strange scene.
It’s been a while since I’ve been pleasantly surprised by an opener, but Robert Francis was really soo good, pouring his heart and soul into both his Springsteen-esque vocals and his beautiful pink electric guitar. He’s got a free track available for download here, if you wanna get on his email list and hear a sample of his music.
Noah and the Whale announced early in their set that it was “a special show” we were hearing; “strict,” they said, “with an emphasis on acoustic instruments.” The songs were true to that predicate, not too stripped-down, but strong, clear, with some soaring violin, intricate acoustic guitar, and perfect harmonies. And I was really happy once out of the all-ages venue and down the street at a dive bar, where the guys from the band met up with the fans, and we could chat over a beer about how hearing the songs from this album is both saddening and uplifting, in that this-love-song-is-SO-true way that makes you feel sort of healed.
