As you may know, a little while ago CMJ came through NYC and took the city over like a rebel army.  Unless you are capable of cloning yourself, it’s impossible to see every show during the week’s festivities, and while I was busy drinking in the sights and sounds of Mumford & Sons, Local Natives and other future Muffin features, one band I missed out on was Freelance Whales.  I tried to recreate a show in my apartment by blasting the Freelance album as loud as I could, even inviting random people up to talk over the music and spill drinks on me so as to live the true concert experience, but something (I’m thinking the band) was missing.  Fortunately for me and my beer soaked carpets, I was able to get my Freelance on at Pianos when the band played a little farewell-for-now gig before hitting the road for a national tour with Bootsy fav, Fanfarlo. The scene was definitely not angry that day my friends – in fact it seemed that word about the Whales had spread throughout the city, and Pianos was packed tighter than a can of sardines.  I managed to get up into groupie territory and took a few shots with my iCantTakeGoodPicsPhone and then sat back and let the waves of whimsy wash over me…

So wait, who are Freelance Whales?? According to the band, they “found one another in late 2008, in Queens, amidst a strange amalgam of unfamiliar instruments, and precariously arranged pop songs.”  After combining the powers of their musical prowess, Freelance Whales took to the streets and subways of NYC to spread the sounds of their swooning rhythms to the masses.  Still unsigned, the Queens quintet has self-released their debut album, Weathervanes, and it has taken a stranglehold on my playlist for reals.  The music has a certain innocence to it, but is precocious at the same time – you wouldn’t guess that these guys have only been playing together for about a year. Genres be dammed, Freelance use harmoniums, banjos, glockenspiels and synths to visit everywhere from electro-pop land to acoustic-folk town, and everywhere in between.  Jams are below – the first song, like it’s mechanical namesake, takes a bit to warm up, while ‘Broken Horse’ wastes no time in getting it’s funereal grips on your speakers.  Stop reading and start listening – and don’t forget to high five yourself if you got the title of the post  Freelance Whales: Train Tested. Muffin Approved.

Freelance Whales – Generator ^ First Floor

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Freelance Whales – Broken Horse

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Weathervanes is out now and available on iTunes

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