Freelance Whales

So the album of the week, as evidenced by both mine and Monica's GChat statuses (and really, what better way to decide the album of the week?) is most definitely Weathervanes by Freelance Whales.  Those of you keeping track will notice that once again, the instrumentation is replete with banjos and leaning towards the folksy side, while the lyrics have been a treasure trove of quotables.  These are obviously two of the most serious criteria I use when evaluating music.  While the banjo initially led me to a vague connection with a slightly poppier Sufjan, Jared has led me to revise that initial thought after comparing them to Owl City (this made me sad).  So let's go with something on the level of Death Cab in terms of tone, with slightly more complex arrangements.  

For some easy listens, check out Location (slightly shorter than the album, but you get the idea) or Kilojoules (they were all live versions, I couldn't find one I was happy with!); Generator ^ First Floor is also one of my favorites.  To slow things down, try The Great Estates or Broken Horses.

In unrelated news, Sufjan released details for his first completely new album-length CD, The Age of Adz! This comes on the heels of his new LP, All Delighted People, released last week and streaming here. On top of this, I finally have tickets to see Sufjan on Nov. 14th in NYC! My excitement cannot be contained in words.

In any case, that's it for now! Back to the stress of apartment hunting...

Playlist Hiatus?

So it seems I've managed to fall off even that most simple of updating ploys, creating a new playlist at least once a week. I blame this on infinite repetitions of The Suburbs (excellent), Contra, and general craziness associated with business travel, leaving the country, and family stress.

But, here's a new one: