Freelance Hellraiser, The - Waiting for Clearance (Album)
Meet Roy Kerr, aka The Freelance Hellraiser. Previously he’s been one of the ‘pioneers of mashups’; he’s the guy who combined 'Hard To Explain' by The Strokes with Christina Aguilera’s 'Genie In A Bottle', calling it 'A Stroke Of Genius'. How very ironic. Thankfully TFH has cut the apron strings from the novelty world of mashing and decided to start writing his own tunes. And for the most part, they’re pretty cool.
The album opens with the instantly digestible title track, 'Waiting For Clearance'. Think Beck, circa Odelay. It’s funky, driven by rock beats and simple bass lines. The mellow 'Send Me' follows, built on an arrangement of strings and samples. This time TFH sounds more like Sufjan Stevens. Then there’s 'You Can Cry All You Want', which could be a b-side from The Flaming Lips.
Other tracks worth checking out include 'We Don’t Belong', 'Waves', and the dark and bizarre 'Weightlessness'. The songs themselves are progressive and layered with atmospheric sounds, tied together with a fusion of rock and pop. My only real complaint is that at times the vocals can sound a little forced, which may be due to some questionable lyrics.
All in all, The Freelance Hellraiser has produced a strong debut album, worthy of a second listen. Sure, he wears his influences on his sleeve, but that’s in vogue these days thanks to Wolfmother and similar ‘soundalikes’. So cut TFH a break, and check Waiting For Clearance out before he returns to mashing shit together again.
