“French-American Electro Dream Rock.” If that’s not enticing enough to come see White Hinterland at MOTR Pub tonight, I’ll continue.
Casey Dienel is an American singer/songwriter whose talent far exceeds her popularity, but ever since her debut release in 2005, “Wind Up Canary,” she’s created one of the most evolutionary sounds by a female vocalist in music today. After announcing that there would be no more Casey Dienel in 2008, she joined vibrations with musician Shawn Creeden to form White Hinterland, the Dream Pop power group you’ll see at MOTR.
Their first two releases as White Hinterland were quite different; French lyrics set the tone to “Luniculaire,” a slow, Bond-esque soundtrack of ballads that have a dark, floating rhythm reminiscent of Thom Yorke’s “Bodysnatchers,” while “Phylactory Factory” introduces parlour-style pop jazz ballads that remind me of Dido on a soft, sorrowful rainy day.
White Hinterland really started finding their feet, though, with the “Kairos” album. “Icarus,” the albums most popular track, brings slow bass rhythms and dynamic electronic cuts to create a bigger, more looming sound, but only as support for her vocal work. Oh, her vocal work… it’s definitely something to behold. It has the calculated choppiness of a Bjork performance with the resonation of Florence Welch. I couldn’t help but break into a deskdancing groove as she crooned a pure tone.
They continued their transition into their latest release, “Baby,” increasing the technicality of their electrobeat production and the emphasis on Dienel’s voice. The first track on the album, “Wait Until Dark,” brings Michelle Branch to mind, with powerful piano backing her pop-blues vocal arrangements. It’s a fantastic expression of her emergence as a really dynamic vocalist, which put her pretty close to the magic that is Amber from the Dirty Projectors.
There’s a lot of great music that rolls through, but this is one of those acts that you should see now before we’re all like, “Man, who is that on the Main Stage?” But don’t take my word for it, though. Come float away with me at White Hinterland.
See you in the clouds.
