By now, many of us have probably heard Noah and the Whale's single "5 Years Time (Sun Sun Sun)" on the radio and also on the Saturn commercial. Today, their debut album, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down is finally out in the U.S. The London-based band finds inspiration in Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach movies and it shows in their lyrics and overall feel of the album. Hints of Neutral Milk Hotel, Belle and Sebastian, and I Am From Barcelona are present in their music. Playful, yet meaningful and never insincere is what I liked the most about Peaceful...

I have yet to see them on stage, but from what I heard/read they are excellent and entertaining. Their live performance includes band member, bi-instrumentalist, Urby Whale, who plays bass guitar and glockenspiel simultaneously and does his cultured dance moves. Noah and the Whale is currently on tour in the states, including some free show dates! I look forward to seeing you at their shows.

Listen to: 5 Years Time (streamed through imeem)

Tour dates:
16/09/2008 - Union Pool Brooklyn, NY
18/09/2008 - Sidewalk Cafe (FREE SHOW) New York, NY
19/09/2008 -Mercury Lounge New York, NY
19/09/2008 - Instore performance - Virgin Union Square, NY
20/09/2008 - Toad (FREE SHOW) Boston, MA
22/09/2008 - The Saint (FREE SHOW) Montreal, Que
23/09/2008 - Horseshoe Tavern (FREE SHOW) Toronto, Ont
26/09/2008 - Empty Bottle Chicago, IL
26/09/2008 - Instore performance - Reckless Records, Chicago, IL
29/09/2008 - Chop Suey (FREE SHOW) Seattle, WA
30/09/2008 - Doug Fir (FREE SHOW) Portland, OR
02/10/2008 - Pop Scene, San Francisco, CA
02/10/2008 - Instore performance Amoeba Music, San Francisco, CA
04/10/2008 - Detour Festival Los Angeles, CA
06/10/2008 - Spaceland (FREE SHOW) Los Angeles, CA