Noah smokin'

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TWICKENHAM-based hippy indie folk group Noah And The Whale, who have recently completed a tour of British woodlands, are set to take root firmly in the album charts from Monday.

For the sound of the band, which spawned Mercury Music Prize nominee Laura Marling, mixes equal parts Arcade Fire, The Magic Numbers, Willy Mason and Loyd Grossman in a pleasing, smily, summery, radio-friendly way.

But don't be fooled, this is not disposable pop, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down is music on a grand scale - some might say Noah And The Whale's ambition is Biblical in proportion - and most of the time it works.

Opener Atoms In A Molecule and breakthrough single Five Years Time are representative of the band's upbeat, lively symphonic pop that dominates here.

Sadly, as the group's nautical name implies, these peaks come in waves, with Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down prone to dragged out slower numbers as well.

However Noah And The Whale's debut is still well worth splashing out on.