Talk about a transformation. In a move motivated by nothing more than the need to try something new, Casey Dienel transformed her piano-led White Hinterland project from a pitch-dark jazz revue to a looking-glass take on the bleeding-edge of pop music.
Seriously — take a quick listen to the steam-pressed samples of “Huron” and the skittish percussion of “Cataract” and tell us they don’t sound like Rihanna for indie-rock kids. Not only that; Dienel and her first full-on collaborator (multi-instrumentalist Shawn Creeden) come awfully close to aping Broadcast in “Moon Jam,” a delightfully strange trip through shuffleboard beats and 8-bit synths.
As for what happened to all that jazz, well, it’s essentially here in spirit, as the duo lops off Dienel’s piano progressions and places lean loops in their place. It’s softly glowing lo-fi dance music, hushed and entrancing. One of the greatest crossovers so far this year.
Tracks:
Icarus
[audio:http://www.box.net/shared/static/j95n1lemzi.mp3|titles=Icarus|artists=White Hinterland]
No Logic
[audio:http://www.box.net/shared/static/jpymaues5m.mp3|titles=No Logic|artists=White Hinterland]
Bow and Arrow
[audio:http://www.box.net/shared/static/enl8cslt85.mp3|titles=Bow and Arrow|artists=White Hinterland]
Video: Amsterdam
Buy CD:Amazon UK
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