Freelance Whales - Weathervanes

Artist: Freelance Whales

Album: Weathervanes

 Year: 2009

Length: 41 minutes, 8 seconds

Genre: Indie alternative/Pop rock

Why I picked it up: Favourite band of my sister's

Favourite tracks: Generator (First/Second Floor), Location, Ghosting

Random lyric: Give into the reigns of the great estate / Better lights pull you out of your ground

Purchases: Amazon | iTunes | Check your local music store!

I decided to purchase this album after hearing my sister play the CD in the car while driving to our cousin's wedding. I remembered hearing Generator (First Floor) previously and decided I like the sound of some of the other songs enough to buy them all. 

I was first attracted to this band because I think/thought (maybe not so much anymore that I've been listening to him more) the lead singer sounds like Adam Young of Owl City. I like Young's voice but I don't care for his style of music so coming across Freelance Whales was a pleasant surprise for me. I also like their sound, it brings to mind Sufjan Stevens with a leaning towards a more indie pop/rock sound. Finally, I enjoy the sleepy whispering type quality of the lead singer's  voice has(I should go look up his name...Judah Dadone. A memorable name, I should say). Even when the songs are upbeat, his voice lends a peaceful quality to them. I think ideally I would have made a list for this paragraph. Here's a list of what I like about Freelance Whales sound:

• Judah Dadone, the lead singer, sounds sort of like Adam Young, whose voice I like
• Vocals have a soft, calming, whisper-like quality
• (Sufjan Stevens' softness + strings) + Cloud Cult-style indie pop/rock/experimental = Freelance Whale

The lyrics are another thing that intrigues about this album. Maybe it's just me, but I find they're very unpredictable. The rhythm and words that form the lyrics are rarely what I am anticipating. This makes for a different listening experience because I'm often caught off-guard and I don't just mindlessly listen to the music. I'm not sure if this is a good thing, it's just something I've noticed.

All in all, this is a nice album with a nice sound and some different things about. As the previous statement makes obvious, I don't think anything is too special about this album, but I enjoy listening to it and it isn't too overwhelming or involved.