Half-hearted

Noah and the Whale has a very special place in my heart. “Peaceful the World Lays Me Down” was the overture to the summer of any teenager’s high school memories, with sunshine, whistles and road trips.

Since the departure of background-vocalist Laura Marling, now a successful solo artist, the band has never been the same.

It was a tragic love story between Marling and Charlie Fink, with a break-up that cast a shadow over their next two albums. “Heart of Nowhere” feels as if it has finally broken free.

“Heart of Nowhere” falls in line with the last album “Last Night On Earth,” telling a coming-of-age story with upbeats reminiscent of ‘70s singles, Afro-rock and Paul Simon’s “Graceland.” This album, unlike “Last Night On Earth,” however, lacked the “heart” the title promised.  Frontman Fink seemed to be going through the motions of his last move. He employs classic rock to make us happy, with colloquial, unimaginative lyricism.

If you ask me, the band spends too much effort launching its amateur film career, as opposed to producing a thorough album. Noah and the Whale uses “Heart of Nowhere” as a soundtrack to short films the band releases and sometimes screens at concerts. It’s all very so-so.

One redeeming quality is the final track “There Will Come a Time,” an uplifting anthem for the world’s emotional youth.

It is cliché, sure, but timeless in its message for the heart-broken:

Keep on keeping on.

By Francisco Tirado