In the past few months, Freelance Whales' cheerful dream-pop has graduated from humble beginnings — New York City's sidewalks and train stations, among other venues — to a coveted place as one of the blogosphere's most celebrated new bands. Click the link above to hear Freelance Whales perform live in concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, along with singer, songwriter and banjo player Danny Barnes.
Lugging an atypical array of instruments — including the harmonium, banjo, glockenspiel, guitars, bass, drums and the waterphone — Freelance Whales' members make music that's undeniably quirky and fun. But the instrumentation isn't a gimmick: The band makes richly textured music with powerful rhythms and a keen sense of melody. Its debut album, Weathervanes, reflects Freelance Whales' busking roots. The group's sentimental and heartwarming pop-folk brings to mind the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Le Loup and Ra Ra Riot.
Danny Barnes has played in the Austin-based Americana band The Bad Livers, as well as in the experimental project folkTronics; he's also performed with the likes of Bela Fleck and Gov't Mule. No matter what style he's playing, though, his offbeat character always comes through. Barnes has played everything from traditional bluegrass and country to more idiosyncratic forms of rock, electronic jazz and fusion. His latest album, the simultaneously fun and perplexing Pizza Box, is a genre-bending oddity that bears Dave Matthews' stamp of approval.
Copyright 2010 XPN
