Noah and the Whale rose to indie-folk fame with their 2008 debut “Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down.” Five years and three albums later, the band is still going strong in both their native England and here in the U.S. Their latest record “Heart of Nowhere”, improves on its transformative predecessor “Last Night on Earth”, and illustrates just how far Noah and the Whale has come since their breakout.
The Eagle interviewed Tom Hobden, the violinist and keyboardist, before the band’s show at 9:30 Club on Oct. 16.
Trent Burns: How has the tour in support of “Heart of Nowhere” been going for you and the rest of the band?
Tom Hobden: Well we based a lot of the U.K. tour around the large festivals, and that’s been really fun. Since the record came out earlier this year in the U.K. we’ve had great crowds at those shows, and now we’re excited to bring it over to America.
TB: How has the band’s touring experience changed since 2008?
TH: Well there’s definitely more people at the shows now (laughs). But I mean overall, I’d say that it’s much the same setup. It’s still the same stuff- that desire to go out and play our music. I mean, we’ve always had that hunger for making music, so it’s really still just us doing what we love. We’re very thankful for that.
TB: What’s the biggest difference between touring in the U.S. and in Europe?
TH: Well, in Europe we’ve lately been playing a lot in the arenas or the festivals. So when we come to America the spaces between the shows just feels much greater, and that takes some getting used to. And like I said before, the jet lag can be horrific (laughs).
TB: There’s been a lot of growth between “Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down” and “Heart of Nowhere.” What have been some of the things that inspired those changes?
TH: Well, I think an overall sense of maturing has sort of driven our sound forward. We’ve definitely grown up quite a bit since that record. Also I think some of it has to do with our desire to present more of our live sound in [Heart of Nowhere], and I think we’ve really been able to achieve a lot of that.
TB: So was the production process of “Heart of Nowhere” different from its predecessor, “Last Night on Earth”?
TH: Oh, definitely. I think when we were recording “Last Night on Earth,” we had kind of set out to create a very different record than “First Days of Spring”. That record was intensely personal and had a very different feel to it. So sonically, we were entering this new territory and looking to make a record that reflected a much lighter, pop influenced sound. The studio and production were bigger parts of that. But in recording “Heart of Nowhere” we were very focused on getting that live sound we loved into our recordings. I mean we recorded the album live, so that was a very different experience in terms of production.
TB: The album is receiving largely positive reviews, but I keep hearing and seeing people draw comparisons to American artists like Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. How do you feel about that? Did any of you hear that while writing the album?
TH: (laughs) Yeah, we’ve heard that too, and no I think that we all see that as a very big compliment. Both of their catalogues, we had just been getting into them and they were definitely influences in writing “Heart of Nowhere.” What may seem funny to you is that over in Britain we have the same sort of fascination that Americans might have with us. I mean the way you might think of the Beatles or whatever, we kind of see American music that way. To come to America and be well received, as British musicians, is such a dream because we look at it as this sort of mecca of modern music. So it’s all very complimentary.
TB: There are definitely some really string-driven songs on the new album. What role do you play in the songwriting process?
TH: I introduce the violin parts very early; so yeah, in the songwriting process, it’s a pretty core sort of thing. Back when we first started it was just the three of us, so we’ve always had the fiddle around and it’s always been a big part of our sound. I love doing the arrangements on the new stuff. I just think it’s such a lyrical instrument and you get such an evocative response when you weave it into pop music.
TB: Lastly, and it’s such dorky and stereotypical question of me to ask, but I can’t resist. What’s on your iPod right now?
TH: (laughs) No, it’s a totally valid question. You can’t forget that we as musicians totally still listen to music too. I’m not sure if you’d have heard of it, but right now I’m listening to a lot of this guy Arthur Russell recently. I don’t know if you’re familiar with his work, but he was this cellist…(laughs) Yeah, I know it seems weird, and he worked with the Talking Heads in like the 80s. I don’t know, I just get obsessed with one or two artists at a time and that’s how my iPod goes.
Noah and the Whale is performing on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 9:30 club. Tickets are still on sale.
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