Freelance Whales - Weathervanes

Purveyors of smart, dreamy, and elaborate art-pop, New York's Freelance Whales happily steer clear of any overly precocious trappings on their sophisticated March 16 debut album Weathervanes (Frenchkiss). Formed in late 2008, the Queens-based quintet appear to have an endless supply of both esoteric instruments -- banjo, glockenspiel, harmonium -- and impressive creative compositions at hand as they seamlessly weave labyrinthine sonic patterns that ebb and flow beneath lofty vocal melodies. If it sounds overly mannered or obtuse, it's not. But it is, above all, music that requires the act of listening and for those who are looking for an album of genuine small-screen cinematic pleasures, Weathervanes is it.

Not surprisingly, Freelance Whales have already begun to receive rapturous buzz with NME hailing their music as  "gentle, naive bliss...(with) hooks blossoming with the pace of an actual flower opening." Lead track "Hannah" is a great place to start: an infectious electronic riff merges with an odd assorment of instruments, stammering rhythms and tumbling lyrics for a song that is just this side of quirky. But our favorite may be the eerie "Ghosting", a scintillating swath of twinkling lights, delicate time measures and a melody that's allowed to meander unfettered and unhurried. Highly recommended.

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Freelance Whales - "Hannah" (from the album Weathervanes)

Freelance Whales - "Ghosting" (from the album Weathervanes)