Keith Shackleton on February 26th, 2010

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[Buzz Bands LA welcomes new contributor Keith Shackleton, this blog’s special correspondent in the Southern Hemisphere, who will help with occasional track reviews:]

What could be more appropriate than the patchwork art on the album cover of “Weathervanes?” New York City-based quintet Freelance Whales stitch together a variety of textures from an array of acoustic instruments, sprinkle them with some fuzzy shuffling beats, and glaze the whole soundscape with a warm synthesized sheen. A history of busking with banjos might suggest a ramshackle devil-may-care attitude, but there’s considerable craft and focus in their gentle dream-folk-pop. The band’s debut come out March 16 on Frenchkiss Records.

||| Download: “Generator 2nd Floor”

||| Live: Freelance Whales perform March 24 at the Echo.