WK3 - Freelance Whales - Weathervanes (7.5)

Released - 12/29/09 (Digital) - 3/16/10 (Physical Re-Release)

Label - French Kiss / Mom and Pop

BLURB - What a clever take on emo. It's so clever I don't even know if I can call it emo...in fact I can't. Freelance Whales is what would happen if Ben Gibbard had a banjo, a lot of friends and lived in Williamsburg. This group of friends flavors up their brand of indie rock with a combination of bubble gum folk, layered waves of ambience and a certain indefinable hipster charm. Hopefully, this will make the Owl City nation realize their own futility and that there are actually real musicians and real friends out there, making real music. While I can't get this album out of my iPod rotation, I can't help but think I'll eventually grow out of it. Weathervanes is an all too likable album...that may be the problem.

Rating - 7.5 out of 10

FULL STORY - I'm pretty sure I saw Freelance Whales playing in a subway station last year. I was on my way to a race in Brooklyn, transferring trains in Greenpoint, when I saw what looked like a high school posse of hipsters playing xylophones and banjos. Here's the proof, but this time they were in Williamsburg.

The first track off the album, 'Generator (First Floor) has been sweeping subway platforms for the last year. Branded with a banjo riff, a slow building rhythm section and 5-way background vocals, the song offers up a campfire feel. The kind of song everyone can sing along to, and does. 'Generator (First Floor)' does a great job prefacing Weathervanes and informally introduces us to the group. After hearing this song I kind of feel like I know them from somewhere...like maybe the guitar player and I were friends in another life.

'Hannah' is the second track and makes great use of the obligatory synthesizer. Stylistically, the song bounces back and forth from that of The Get Up Kids and The Postal Service. Lyrically, the tone is playful, yet full of hope and anticipation. The lyrics themselves are creative and have a naive, youthful buoyancy to them.

"Do me this solid if you would pretty lady, please grab your martini and meet me on the balcony. I've prepared a lights show, you could fake a melody, we could argue when and where the cymbal hits should be."

Despite the overall bounciness of this track, Freelance Whales does a great job altering pace and tempo. The chorus is credible, calm and relaxed...a favorable contrast to the verse. A bright display of layered bridges add some maturity and a sense of musical awareness to the song, assuring the listener that they know what they're doing.

The fifth track on the album, 'Starring' begins with a droning, industrial synth chord progression, only to be briefly slapped around with it's antithesis, a cheerful, poppy synth riff a la HelloGoodbye. Man, I hate HelloGoodbye. Somehow this works though, as the entire song performs a balancing act between dark and light. Even the chorus follows along with the line, 'This is me starring in the strangest nightmare." 'Starring' in itself is a bittersweet oxymoron and leaves it's audience hopefully in despair.

If 'Generator (First Floor)' was the song everybody sings along to, then 'Kilojoules' is the song that everybody claps along to. It really sounds like a kids song from Nick Jr., with xylophone and keyboard riffs in all the right places. 'Kilojoules' has a very lighthearted tone, which allows you to enjoy yourself as it effortlessly clears your mind. For some reason, I imagine a college freshmen girl listening to this song on repeat in her dorm, as she gets ready to go see her boyfriend's crappy band. I don't know why.

Much of the rest of the album is very airy and filled with soothing acoustic guitars and duet style vocals. Chimes, pianos and xylophones accent the indie, pseudo-folk melodies comfortably and without force. Despite the fact that these are mostly slower songs, they are all fused with a sense of hope and togetherness and help to push the songs forward.

I still don't know why I like this album as much as I do. Part of the reason I only gave Weathervanes a 7.5 was because I really feel I'm lacking some objectivity. I've listened to it constantly since I bought it, but in the back of my head I genuinely feel that it lacks staying power. It's such a blatant departure from the music that I've been listening to lately. Freelance Whales reminds me of sleepovers, dances and camp outs. Hearing this album is just like looking at your yearbook. I feel too old for it...not that it's beneath me, but you can really tell it is meant to appeal to that 15-20 year old demographic...and yet somehow this 24 year old can't put it down. I don't know if that's good or bad.

Tracks

1.) Generator (Second Floor)

2.) Hannah

3.) Generator (First Floor)

4.) Broken Horse

5.) Starring

6.) Kilojoules

7.) Location

8.) Ghosting

9.) The Great Estates

10.) We Could Be Friends

WK23 - Brand New - Daisy (8.5)

Released - 9/22/09

Label - DGC Records

Blurb - This comes at you hard. Very Hard. Just listen to the opening track. There's just a piano and female singing and then BOOM! The best and most aggressive song on the album, 'Vices' explodes into your headphones. Yet, this isn't a sign of things to come. This record is very dark, yet musically varied. Brand New does a great job evolving and transcending genres here. 'Daisy,' if predictably, is not your standard emo release. There is a certain grunge and alternative feel to this recording, awakening a genre that was all but dead. Is it there best release? No - 'Deja Entendu' holds that title, but this is definitely up there.

Rating - 8.5 out of 10

Full Story - Angst-ridden and very down tempo, 'Daisy' is the very sought after fourth release from emo-rockers Brand New. The band burst on the scene the better part of a decade ago as an energetic pop-punk band that relied on lyrical connections to their audience and a full throttle live show. As the years have past, Brand New have altered their sound and image, and never relied on producing something that they were supposed to produce. The reason that Brand New is still relevant and successful today, is the same reason that Thursday and Saves the Day aren't. Adaptation and expression.

The new record, 'Daisy,' exploits this feat brilliantly. When I first listened to it, I was like...woah...is this Brand New? There is such a classic feel to this record, not sounding of this decade. The tracks sound something like Nirvana meets Pearl Jam meets Thrice. A very odd formula. Obviously they didn't set out to create this record with the soul intent of appearing to be, 'grunge' now. This is just what is coming out.

With all Brand New records, the focus point tends to be the lyrical content. With this particular release, I feel Brand New did an excellent job providing a more genuine musical tapestry for their lyrics to rest upon. With 'Your Favorite Weapon' and 'Deja Entendu,' when the band wanted to really express themselves, the music was generally either very polished or acoustic. Not the case here. On 'Daisy,' melancholy songs sound melancholy, aggressive songs sound aggressive and uplifting songs sound uplifting. You get the picture. 'Gasoline,' 'Bought a Bride' and 'Bed' are all great examples of their music finally supporting their lyrical content.

For all you old school Brand New fans, I'm not sure if you're going to enjoy this. There aren't any true singles on this disc and the album as a whole is very interpretive. However, if you are open to change and evolving your musical palette, this album is definitely for you. It might take some patience and an open mind, but 'Daisy' is for the music listener that 'gets it.'

Tracks

1.) Vices

2.) Bed

3.) At the Bottom

4.) Gasoline

5.) You Stole

6.) Be Gone

7.) Sink

8.) Bought a Bride

9.) Daisy

10.) In a Jar

11.) Noro