Freelance Whales
‘Weathervanes’
(Mom & Pop)

Brooklyn dream-pop merchants Freelance Whales deliver thirteen tracks of shimmering, glistening electro that’d melt the heart of a shark from a thousand yards. Comparisons to Postal Service are inevitable – but entirely complimentary – though on latest single ‘Hannah’ and the jittery jaunt of ‘Starring,’ Freelance Whales tread a path all their own. It’s the Whales’ knack of stripping songs down to their bare bones that makes them so utterly charming – all excess baggage discarded until it’s just a glorious skeleton of perfect harmonies. ‘Broken Horse’ shows a softer side; one torn free of electronic noodling whilst ‘Ghosting’ gradually builds to a rousing crescendo of harmonies and chiming xylophones. ‘Weathervanes’ is one of the most beautifully uplifting albums of 2010, it’s about time Freelance Whales became as huge as their name suggests.

Matt Glass