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XPN & Y-Rock Welcome Shout Out Louds with Freelance Whales

Presented by R5 Productions at First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia

May 3, 2010

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Coming from the angle of the pure pop sound of the '60s filtered through the indie pop of the '80s and '90s and the Beach Boys-worshiping chamber pop of the early 2000s, the Swedish quintet Shout Out Louds has crafted an album loaded with great songs, exciting performances, and an unerring ear for arrangements. In fact, a better combination of arrangement, emotion, and melody is hard to find anywhere in the early 2000s to date. Merge Records.

Freelance Whales found one another in late 2008, amidst a strange amalgam of unfamiliar instruments, and precariously composed pop songs. Using whatever musical gadgets they happened upon (mostly harmonium, banjo, glockenspiel, synthesizers, guitars, bass, drums, waterphone), the five members worked at crafting songs with interlocking rhythmic patterns, lush textural layering, and an engaged group-vocal energy. Freelance Whales can be spotted in the streets and humble venues of New York City, and have just released their first full-length record, Weathervanes, independently. The band's sentimental and heartwarming pop-folk brings to mind the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Le Loup and Ra Ra Riot.