Craigslist can be a complete crapshoot. Sure, you might be able to find a pair of tickets to that Flaming Lips show next week, or even luck out on a spacious loft with an incredible view of the skyline.

But the listings site has also become a breeding ground for disturbed perverts and deranged lunatics. And that’s just the types of people you’re dealing with in the bartering section.

So the fact that Freelance Whales frontman Judah Dadone was able to use the site to connect with four seemingly normal individuals to assemble a band and eventually go on to record an album and play sold-out shows around the world, is nothing short of a miracle.

The Queens-based five-piece is chalk-full of precious, delicate harmonies backed by a rich assortment of instrumentation, including harmonium, banjo, glockenspiel, synthesizers, guitars, bass, drums and water phone.

And while their debut album, Weathervanes, may seem a little too sweet at first bite, you’ll probably warm up to it with subsequent tastings. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a slice of chocolate cake after a nice hearty meal.

Chuck Criss from Freelance Whales took a few minutes from their hectic touring schedule to talk about the band’s Ben Gibbard comparisons, busking in Brooklyn and Bah Mitzvah obligations.

My Liner Notes: What was the first album you ever bought as a kid with your own money? More importantly, are you still a fan of this band/artist today?

Chuck Criss: I think it was Live’s Throwing Copper. I still get excited when I hear a song off that album on the radio — it’s very nostalgic. It always makes me think of the demented album art it had and how it really struck me as a kid.

The name Freelance Whales seems a little ambiguous. Are we talking about whales that work as freelance detectives/astronauts/exotic dancers, or are we talking about other mammals — say chimps — that freelance as whales in their spare time?
 
CC: It’s both.

The band’s music seems to get compared a lot to The Postal Service. Would you say this comparison is fair, or completely unfounded?

CC: There’s definitely a Ben Gibbard-ish inflections on some of our tracks, but on the whole I would say our record sounds nothing like a Postal Service record. We have a lot more folk and other non-electronic elements that are weaved into our record.

You guys recently busked at the Bedford Street subway stop. Why would an established band like yourselves choose to do something as crazy as playing for change at one of the busiest subway stops? And on a completely unrelated note, would you guys be interested in playing my cousin’s Bah Mitzvah next week?

CC: Well, we’ve always busked in the subways ever since we first started the band. It’s something we did before we ever had become established. It was a great way of meeting new people and trying to get them to come out to shows. And yes, we talked to your cousin and we’ll be there. See you soon.
 
What’s your favourite whale movie: Free Willy, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, Free Willy 3: The Rescue, Whale Rider, or Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Saphire?

CC: Does Pinocchio count?