There is this image of what the stereotypical college student might like — coffee/tea, scarves, and indie music — at least in my eyes. Whether you like any combination of those things or not, it doesn’t matter for the two bands I’m going to talk about this week. Yes, they are both indie. Yes, their followings and discographies are small… but I think that more people should listen to them. I give you: Freelance Whales and Walk the Moon.
Freelance Whales:
If you like neither coffee nor scarves but do like indie musicians such as Of Monsters and Men, Ra Ra Riot, and Boxer Rebellion, Freelance Whales is right up your alley. The group’s sophomore album “Divulia” dropped earlier this fall, and it earned a place on NPR’s “First Listen.” Personally, I am more familiar with their first album, “Weathervanes.” I grabbed it from my library over the summer and at first listen… they weren’t my favorite. After the second and third (and fourth through eighth) times listening I could see the appeal. “Weathervanes” has a nice balance of peppy and somber (“Generator ^ First Floor” and “Hannah” vs. “Broken Horse”). If you are a Glee fan, you have probably heard of this band because one of the instrumentalists, Chuck Criss, is the brother of Darren Criss (Blaine).
Walk the Moon:
If you haven’t noticed by now, I tend to listen to it on repeat for about a week whenever I find a new band. Last week’s edition of this was Walk the Moon, which I listened to on repeat until my iPod decided I had had enough. This is a different variation of indie music, closer to Young the Giant, Imagine Dragons, and Grouplove. This album, as a whole, makes me really happy when I listen to it. The only slower, more contemplative song that I can think of on the album is “Iscariot” which, though it is a distinct change of pace from “Jenny” or “Anna Sun,” is no less enjoyable. Enjoy!