Weathervanes [CD]

Bought this purely because i adored the artwork on the digipack and it turned out that the booklet insert was equally charming. I wasn't however, initially, so blown away by the music. It seemed interesting but not special but i did find myself continually drawn back to it time and time again and it turns out it's a real grower and i really love it now. There's some gorgeous banjo (and guitar) picking throughout and most of the songs are little stories in themselves (somewhere in the Decemberists mode) beautifully told and played. It lost a star for the 3 short (pointless??) instrumental pieces. The best track is "we could be friends" which starts quietly enough but builds to a great anthemic ending with the chant "please don't put your face into your hands we could be friends". You also get a happy funeral song "generator, second floor" which has some lovely guitar work and the lyrics "life is long enough..we will put this flesh into the ground again". Give it some time and you'll be hooked.

"You don't need a weathervane to know which way the wind blows" once observed Bob Dylan rather sagely. In the case of this debut by the Freelance Whales (great name) the wind is hopefully blowing towards full recognition and deserved success for a lovely debut album. This is an album full of top notch multi-instrumental experimentation and wonderful harmonic vocals, jammed packed with so many great pop/rock songs that hopefully Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie will derive some inspiration from this primary source after the disappointing "Narrow Stairs"

My space tells us that the Freelance Wales are from Queens in New York and recently did a nice session for the Welsh wonder Huw Stephens on Radio 1 where I first heard some of these songs. Think Death Cab, Postal Service, Phoenix, Sufjan Stevens and throw in CSN and the Fleet foxes and your in the ball park in terms of influences.

As a primer you should immediately seek out the wonderful "Location". It will remind you of the equivalent of a musical version of Oz Clarke's "Wine programme" on Radio 4, as you detect a pounding start, accompanied by a hint of Glockenspiel, a dash of piano, a dab of acoustic guitar, a frisson of watering can, all set off with a smoky and lush vocal harmonies. It shall be played tomorrow at a barbecue and turn heads. Then you have "Starring" which is all bells, accordions and banjos. Two songs have "Generator" in the title and it is the 2nd one that is the strongest and one of the most genuinely delightful songs I have heard this year. It builds and builds and by the time it ends you have a new friend.

Freelance Whales need to take care however since songs like "Hannah" which is a truly great pop song, just about stay on the right side of twee and the band need ensure they don't cross the line into Owl City territory (the horrible "Kilojoules" certainly does and a couple of others should have been run past the taste police). Overall despite these niggles "Weathervanes" is a confident and charming album packed full of sprightly performances and enough warm feeling to heat the house during a cold snap; give it a try.

I've just bought this album, as I love "Generator 2nd floor" which a friend gave me on a compilation album. I've just listened to it 3 times over, its a really nice chilled out album. Most of the songs are laid back but happy tunes, almost folky. If you like Badly drawn boy or Mumford and Sons you'll probably like this too.