Freelance Whales

Weathervanes (Frenchkiss/MOM + POP)

By Emily Becker
Published: March 30th, 2010 | 1:00pm

The year 2009 was a whirlwind for Freelance Whales, a five-piece band from Williamsburg. January marked their first live performance. Then shortly after the band self-released their debut, Weathervanes, on iTunes and later received a warm reception at 2009’s CMJ Festival.

Weathervane’s lead off track, “Generator, First Floor,” is an overture for the entire record. The song opens with a quiet banjo line that quickly morphs into full layers of ringing melodies and breathy harmonies that merge with lush instrumentation to form a backdrop for Judah Dadone’s clear vocals. The second track, “Hannah,” arises similarly to the first, beginning with an absurdly simple synth line that soon mushrooms into a broader melody. Dadone’s lyrics delight throughout, as on “Location” where he sings about a lonely girl with her “pixilated fishnets” and “black and orange barrettes.”

Freelance Whales’ music is dreamy and uplifting, yet never precious or cloying. Dadone and company are obviously influenced by the Postal Service (“Starring”) and Sufjan Stevens (“Broken Horse”). While these tracks are still well-executed, they are also the least original songs on Weathervanes. Perhaps as the band continues to gel, they will rely more on their own sound, which they surely have, rather than borrowing so directly from other artists.

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Freelance Whales official site

Freelance Whales MySpace

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