DC ROCK CLUB
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Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Self employed cetaceans

Freelance Whales @ 9:30 Club Sunday, May 2, 2010 - $15 -
oh, and Shout Out Louds (headliners)

DCRC went to see the saccharine Freelance Whales at the 930 on Sunday night. This is a band that is easy to listen to, and for me that's good and bad.

Have you ever started a new job to find one eager person who is extra nice to you, willing to give you all the insider info about where to get lunch and to tell you who is a bitch and who has a mild cocaine habit? For me, I like knowing a good place to get lunch so I'm instantly grateful. And that's how Freelance Whales strikes me. They use a banjo on stage - and I love banjos - so immediately we're BFF.

But the more this new workmate talks the less you like what you hear, and pretty soon you realize why s/he was so anxious to befriend you. It's because this person totally sucks and is fond of manipulation. I fear this will be the phenomenon of Freelance Whales.

I've always said that my favorite music is music I don't like at first. Not so in this case, but I'll enjoy them while it lasts. Here's a sample of what they do:


Nice hats.

Meanwhile, the Shout Out Louds reminded me of something I would have heard off the Breakfast Club soundtrack. They were fine, but what's with the intermittent blasts of "smoke" on stage? There is a segment of the musical spectrum where smoke machines are acceptable, and Shout Out Louds fall outside of that spectrum (which they should be happy for).

4 comments:

Steve said...

You've managed to put into words exactly what I've been thinking about Freelance Whales. They're pleasant enough, and seem sincere, but they wear thin really, really fast. And I still can't forgive them for rhyming "Now and Later" with "player hater". That shiz is whack.

Unknown said...

there is no worse insult i could give a band than to call them "pleasant enough" ... and i think that's why i hate them so much.

also, their goddamn PR fuckers!

Potsy said...

ha. I love seeing Dave get all pissed off.

I was thinking another way to describe Freelance Whales would be to compare them to a stick of juicy fruit. A burst of sweet with a rubbery finish.

Nathan said...

i hate this band,
with a passion
"it's like taking all the little parts that make things "indie rock" in people's head and putting them into a band. i think of them as what would happen if a brain-dead surgeon spawned an unholy child from between the loins of the arcade fire and the pajamas of owl city."

that's my own quote.
yes, i quote myself sometimes.
did i mention i hate the whales?