Freelance Whales

Lately, I have been discovering a lot of music that uses slightly more unusual instruments in fun ways. I think this is a trend we will be seeing more of in the future, as more and more people are getting tired of the traditional rock band consisting of four men, with one drummer, one bass player, a singer who plays quitar, and another guitarist, all of whom wear band t-shirts, dirty jeans, chuck taylors, and maybe a leather jacket or two. The instrument that Freelance Whales uses that I find so fun is a xylophone, but from what I read their collection of fun instruments is growing to include instruments such as Japanese flutes and possibly someday, a pipe organ.

I believe that the singer sounds like a slightly more androgynous version of the singer from The Format, but others have likened his voice to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, which I can definitely hear. The band's sound reminds me a bit of The Postal Service, though their sound is not quite as polished.

I personally think the best songs on their album is Generator First Floor, Generator Second Floor, Hannah, and Starring. Starring has super fun instrumentals (and definitely reminds me of Postal Service). Their album "Weathervanes" is the type of album that constantly gives you new favorites though, depending on your mood. As I write this I am listening to the album, and have found several more songs that I am enjoying immensely, such as Broken Horse and We Could Be Friends.

My favorite part about this band is their instrumentals, but if you choose to focus on the lyrics, there are some interesting stories going on in the album. The lyrics are based off a combination of the singer's childhood memories and dream journaling. By age six, the singer began to make room in his house for the ghost of a young girl he sensed living in his house, a detail he works into the album.

This is a super fun band, and I hope you take the time to listen to some of their music. To hear some examples of their work, check out the videos below:









-Melissa

This Time in My Life

Sarah Jaffe is the singer for this time in my life. Love lost. New love. Begging love to stay. Wishing you could feel differently about where life has lead you. Promises. Broken promises. I've felt it all. And so has she. Her style is often so simplistic, that it's easy for me to see myself in any one of her songs.

Stay With Me is a song that hardly sings, but rather whispers her pleas to the one she loves for them to stay. Clementine is my theme song at the moment. In this song, she details her journey through multiple heartbreaks and wishing she could go back to being delicate after becoming so calloused. I believe the line "I wish my name was Clementine" to refer to the song Oh My Darling Clementine, in which Clementine is remembered even after death, though it could also refer to her wish to return to gentleness. Better Than Nothing has one of the most rousing choruses I have heard in a while, as does Perfect Plan. Pretender is another song I can really relate to. The lyrics mixed with the dark music brings to mind that feeling of desperateness everyone feels for someone at one point in their life. Is she really a giver/forgiver, or is she just telling herself that so she feels better about the situation? Though her lyrics are simple, I find myself questioning every little meaning in her songs.

I would not consider Sarah Jaffe one of the new great lyricists of our time however. Her lyrics, as with her music, are simple. Songs such as Clementine repeat the same lines over and over, and some lines are slightly odd, such as Vulnerable's "You're such a baby, it's just a nosebleed. Leave me for a while, so you can go and cry." But I don't like Sarah for her lyrics. I like her for her heartfeltness and her great (and sometimes incredibly catchy) instrumentals.

As with her songwriting style, I see her clothing style as being simple. I would love to see her in fun dresses and rompers, with the occasional cardigan or casual jacket. Sarah is not a traditional beauty, so I think she could pull off some slightly unusual styles, such as rompers with tights and boots. If I was to style Sarah I would dress her as I often dress myself, taking even fancy pieces and dressing them down with boots and sweaters.

If you have not already heard Sarah Jaffe, please take the time to check out some of her music at the bottom of the page. I have found something new in her songs every time I have listened and hopefully you will love her as much as I do.

Sarah Jaffe

Fun Dresses

Dresses with Cardigans

Cute Casual Rompers

-Melissa