No fail for this whale...

Sometimes it takes a while for me to find an album (and sometimes it takes a while for an album to find me...) and this is one of those times.

Weathervanes, the new album by Queens-based [though I've read they now call Williamsburg home] Freelance Whales, was released on the ever-reliable Frenchkiss Records in mid-April, but arrived at UMFM at the end of March. Unfortunately this coincided with my time away from the station while I was on parental leave and a lot of albums fell through the cracks as I was listening to more Sesame Street than Sleigh Bells. Since my return to a full-time post I've been little-by-little going through albums that I missed (while attempting to stay on top of the new ones arriving daily) and that's how I only came across Freelance Whales earlier this week.

I'm just happy I came across it all, let alone 'late' because Weathervanes is a friggin' awesome record. Front to back, top to bottom awesome.

Delicate but not precious, full-sounding but not overly muscular, immediately catchy but not simplistic or disposable; these are the thoughts that come to mind as the songs burrow deeper into my subconscious with each new listen. The instrumentation rewards repeated listens as keyboards and glockenspiels can sometimes be hidden behind the guitar, banjo and drums. Yup, that's right - banjo. Gotta love a pop group that manages to make songs with banjo that don't sound like they belong on the Smithsonian Folkways collection.

Take a listen to album opener "Generator 1st Floor" and tell me you don't love it.

And how can you not love a band that busks on the NYC subway platforms with such aplomb:


Don't forget to check out Freelance Whales' Myspace page and website.

Speaking of their website, the band are offering a free MP3 of "Generator 2nd Floor." Just click on this:

Thanks for reading, now start listening...

Smooches to Frenchkiss

A little over a month ago we received Hospice, the debut record by Brooklyn band The Antlers. The cover art immediately caught my eye and first and subsequent listens definitely caught my ear. "Bear" for one has been on heavy rotation when I take my beagles on their nightly gambol (we don't say 'walk' in front of them or else they go apeshit and start barking up a storm).

Hospice arrived directly from the band, but it's getting re-released to the wider audience it deserves via Frenchkiss Records. The remastered version is available now digitally, but will be released on CD and vinyl on August 18 (MY BIRTHDAY! Thank you Frenchkiss!!). If you still base your music-purchasing (or -downloading) decisions on what Pitchfork thinks, you'll be pleased as punch to hear that it was awarded Best New Music. I'm just surprised to note that there's been more overlap between me and the kids these days...

The music that The Antlers make vacillates between delicate and chaotic, sometimes within the confines of a single song. Hospice begins with the ominous "Prologue," which is followed by Peter Silberman's wispy whisperings on "Kettering." As weightless as that track is, the band's tribute to Sylvia Plath that follows is a heavy piece of work replete with horns and mighty percussion. The Antlers demonstrate repeatedly that they know how to build within the context of a song (most clock in at over 5 minutes) and have arranged those songs for their maximal effect as an album. Best New Music indeed.

On a somewhat-related/somewhat-tangential note, Frenchkiss Records has been on a pretty solid little roll lately: Sean Bones' Rings, Passion Pit's Manners and Cut Off Your Hands' You & I have all come out recently and have all been worth a listen. Speaking of listening, check out the Frenchkiss audio player where you can hear the above-mentioned artists as well as a new track from the upcoming Dodos record.

Thanks for reading, now start listening...