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Fanfarlo, The Swimmers In Concert With a soaring sound and down-to-earth folk-pop songwriting, the London band Fanfarlo has spent 2009 in a rapid ascent, making the transition from self-released underground darling to major-label buzz band in the span of just a few months. Hear the band perform live in concert from WXPN in Philadelphia, alongside the Philadelphia group The Swimmers.

Concerts

Fanfarlo, The Swimmers In Concert

FromWXPN

Fanfarlo, The Swimmers In Concert

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Fanfarlo, The Swimmers In Concert

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The Swimmers. Jenna Stoltzfus Stamm hide caption

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Jenna Stoltzfus Stamm

The Swimmers.

Jenna Stoltzfus Stamm

With a soaring sound and down-to-earth folk-pop songwriting, the London band Fanfarlo has spent 2009 in a rapid ascent, making the transition from self-released underground darling to major-label buzz band in the span of just a few months. Click the link above to hear the band perform live in concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, alongside the local group The Swimmers.

The Swimmers Set List

  • "Shelter"
  • "What This World Is Coming To"
  • "Anything Together"
  • "Hundred Hearts"
  • "Save Me (From the Brightness)"
  • "Give Me the Sun"

Fanfarlo Set List

  • "Drowning Men"
  • "I'm a Pilot"
  • "Harold T. Wilkins, or How to Wait for a Very Long Time"
  • "The Walls Are Coming Down"
  • "Comets"
  • "Luna"
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Fanfarlo. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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courtesy of the artist

Fanfarlo.

courtesy of the artist

Led by Swedish songwriter Simon Balthazar, Fanfarlo seems inspired by the likes of Neutral Milk Hotel and Beirut, while still crafting songs that sound new and distinct. It helps that the band's songwriting is smart, to the point of being bookish, which helps give its music a sense of playfulness and intellectual energy. Its breakthrough album, reissued earlier this year on a huge label, is titled Reservoir.

The Philly band The Swimmers has also made a leap of its own in the last year or two, releasing a pair of highly regarded pop-rock records — Fighting Trees and the new People Are Soft — when it's not touring regularly in its home region. The group's smart, reflective, occasionally dark songs practically burst with melody, courtesy of its prominent synths, electric guitars and well-placed handclaps.