It almost seems like an exercise from a crazed band teacher: You get a banjo, a harmonium, a waterphone, a glockenspiel, a guitar, and an old analog synth — now go write a song! Freelance Whales has done just that. What’s so striking about their self-produced debut album is that the harmonious blending of such an eclectic instrument mashup never goes astray. To listen to the Whales is to be immersed in a complexity of sound reminiscent of the Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus” or Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” only in a folk-pop-electro-emo kind of way. While tricks-y lyrics and unburnished vocals can call to mind bards such as Jason Mraz and John Mayer, the overall feel of Weather Vanes is closer to Sufjan Stevens or the Dresden Dolls. And yes, Freelance Whales occasionally do sound like whales — check out the track “Channels.”