Spring Break
Singer Charlie Finn of Noah and the Whale discusses his music
by Sophie Weiner
Arts | 9/16/08
Posted online at 8:47 PM EST on 9/15/08
/ Last updated at 1:01 AM EST on 9/15/08
Though his longtime friend and artistic partner Wes Anderson usually gets more attention and acclaim, filmmaker Noah Baumbach should feel flattered with the advent of British indie rock band Noah and the Whale. The band's name comes from combining Baumbach's first name and the title of one of his movies, The Squid and the Whale. Though the band formed in 2006 and has only released one album, this August's Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down, they've already been filmed for French music blog blogotheque.net's short music series Take-Away Shows. Lead singer Charlie Fink, who plays with his band at Toad in Porter Square in Cambridge this Saturday, spoke with the Justice.
JustArts: In several interviews with you that I've read, you seem to take offense to being labeled as "twee." Do you see twee as a negative term?
Charlie Fink: I do think it can be a detrimental term. I don't think it has to be, and if that's something you aspire to then maybe it's not. I just don't think it's true [about our music], and in terms of what we are trying to do, perhaps it does slightly undermine it. In England now that comes up less and less, and I think people have got their heads around it now, just about.
JA: What is your songwriting process like?
CF: Usually I write the songs and then I bring them in, and sort of when I bring [the song] into the studio is when it comes out and kind of evolves, you know? So it's a staggered process perhaps.
JustArts: So, is the songwriting mainly your responsibility, or do you start with an idea and then the rest of the band helps out?
CF: No, it'll come in fully formed, but it will develop.
JustArts: How did you get involved with the Take-Away Shows?
CF: I'm not really sure, actually. We sort of bizarrely met them for the first time at [music conference and festival] South by Southwest, and they did some filming around us, which I'm not sure has come out yet. Then they sort of invited us to come to Paris and do some filming while we were out there. It's amazing, we just think that they are like, the best thing. It's incredible the films they make, we love it.
JustArts: In several interviews with you that I've read, you seem to take offense to being labeled as "twee." Do you see twee as a negative term?
Charlie Fink: I do think it can be a detrimental term. I don't think it has to be, and if that's something you aspire to then maybe it's not. I just don't think it's true [about our music], and in terms of what we are trying to do, perhaps it does slightly undermine it. In England now that comes up less and less, and I think people have got their heads around it now, just about.
JA: What is your songwriting process like?
CF: Usually I write the songs and then I bring them in, and sort of when I bring [the song] into the studio is when it comes out and kind of evolves, you know? So it's a staggered process perhaps.
JustArts: So, is the songwriting mainly your responsibility, or do you start with an idea and then the rest of the band helps out?
CF: No, it'll come in fully formed, but it will develop.
JustArts: How did you get involved with the Take-Away Shows?
CF: I'm not really sure, actually. We sort of bizarrely met them for the first time at [music conference and festival] South by Southwest, and they did some filming around us, which I'm not sure has come out yet. Then they sort of invited us to come to Paris and do some filming while we were out there. It's amazing, we just think that they are like, the best thing. It's incredible the films they make, we love it.
Be the first to comment on this story