Is it a banjo? Is it a harmonium? Is it a glockenspiel? Apparently it's all three. As someone not quite old enough to remember the Medieval Times and thus not qualified to correctly distinguish such instruments, this is good news for Jaz. It's also good news for fans of that multi-instrumentalist Arcade Fire-esque anthemic aura. From Queens, New York and currently milling around the blogosphere quite nicely are five-piece Freelance Whales (what were they thinking... would there really have been something wrong with In-house Hippopotami?! ). With more hushed vocals than Arcade Fire's Win Butler, the sound is much gentler and slightly infused with a hint of Postal Service, The Shins and that other marine-titled outfit Noah And The Whale. Perfect for a Juno-type soundtrack or a Channel 4 documentary, their finger-picked folk will pluck at your heartstrings.
Single Generator Second Floor from debut album Weathervane is set to land in the UK on 22 March. It comes courtesy of the same people who gave us glorious first releases from the assured talents of White Lies and Mumford & Sons.
Ring-A-Ding-Ding, a collaboration's a-coming. Watch out for American duo Broken Bells. They are: mogul producer and one half of Gnarls Barkley Danger Mouse (not to be confused with previously blogged about deadmau5, or for the nostalgic among you, the cartoon vermin equivalent of James Bond); and James Mercer, lead singer of The Shins', that band propelled to widespread recognition by alt. romcom Garden State. Don't be put off by any connotations of malfunctioning door buzzers or Sunday morning lie-ins disturbed by out-of-tune Edelweiss church chimes. The light melodic ambience of their eponymous debut will airlift you on a dreamy flight to a cloud cushioned somewhere between Frenchmen Air'sMoon Safari and Eels' 1996 effort, Beautiful Freak. March is the month to get swept away by the full release.
Ring-A-Ding-Ding, a collaboration's a-coming. Watch out for American duo Broken Bells. They are: mogul producer and one half of Gnarls Barkley Danger Mouse (not to be confused with previously blogged about deadmau5, or for the nostalgic among you, the cartoon vermin equivalent of James Bond); and James Mercer, lead singer of The Shins', that band propelled to widespread recognition by alt. romcom Garden State. Don't be put off by any connotations of malfunctioning door buzzers or Sunday morning lie-ins disturbed by out-of-tune Edelweiss church chimes. The light melodic ambience of their eponymous debut will airlift you on a dreamy flight to a cloud cushioned somewhere between Frenchmen Air's Moon Safari and Eels' 1996 effort, Beautiful Freak. March is the month to get swept away by the full release.
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