(L-R) Judah, Jake, Chuck, Doris and Kevin perform "Generator^2nd Floor" at NCX
Freelance Whales Live at Newbury Comics 4/9/2010
http://www.mediafire.com/?mozq2jlnjdd
You know that you’re indie when in the era of instant fame you don’t even have a page at Wikipedia. Brooklyn’s almost unknown Freelance Whales played at the MidEast on Thursday, completely catching me in their Indie-folk spell as soon as the first notes were tapped out on the glockenspiel. With vocals that suggest the vulnerable twee pop that Sufjan Stevens produced on Seven Swans, or Arcade Fire on Funeral, Freelance Whales are a band to watch for this summer, their sound a perfect compliment to the heat in the air. On Friday, the Whales played at Newbury Comics on Newbury Street here in Boston, and I was able to grab a high quality recording of the all acoustic show. The PA system failed before their set began, so the band opted to play a truly unplugged set. The results were marvelous. The small crowd of 30 odd people were easily encompassed by the Doris Cellar’s Harmonium and the strumming of guitarists Kevin Read and Chuck Criss. The vocal harmony lies at the back of the recording, augmenting the music as opposed to the tradition of music-backed-voices. The reminiscent sound of Freelance whales, mixed with lyrics about “the proper way to haunt a house” call to mind the sounds of a forthcoming summer. Don’t let this pass you by.
Freelance Whales album Weathervanes is out now on Frenchkiss Records. Myspace Page
