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White Hinterland
Kairos
Dead Oceans
This Portland duo released Kairos March 9th, and this overbooked writer only now got about to writing about it. That being said, it’s a pretty amazing album with dub and electronic elements coming far from left field melting into this warm lo-fi creation with sweet female vocals and dance-y guitar riffs. The album cover is a pretty great visual interpretation of White Hinterland’s sound; it’s a bit muddled and unclear, white-washed and faded but glimmering with sunspots that leak through the speakers as little gems of sound.
Each element of sound clicks into place slowly but assuredly. The areas where it all comes together make the slow drive even more worthwhile. “No Logic” bleats and dances crookedly, showcasing Casey Dienel’s curiously echoed vocals. Her voice is crystalline and mysterious, a little bit Feist and a little M.I.A. depending on how she is using it. It drops and drips with rhythm and gentility overtop blanketed electronics and bumbling drums beats provided by both Dienels and Shawn Creeden. There’s a tribal quality, a very organic and earthly sound that rises from the duo’s creation and is fortified through clicks, yelps, thumb pianos, low drumming and airy vocals.
Each song throughout the album provides a distinct feeling of being transported elsewhere. “Bow & Arrow” enters with bass-y, hollow drumming and enters into the chorus of horns and reggae style singing that bellows and creates the perfect mood. The vocals seem to be adaptable to any style, and the instrumentation continues to shake it up with each song.
Nothing is normal, nothing is boring. White Hinterland gives new life into styles that have been long dead or overdone. Each aspect that could be found trite elsewhere fits perfectly in with the sounds these two are exploring. I personally can’t wait to hear more. -www.myspace.com/whitehinterland
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This was posted on the Deli site! Find link here! City Center |
| plugged in, ready to break out |
| by Lauren Piper |
City Center formed in 2007 as the side project of Fred Thomas and Ryan Howard of Saturday Looks Good to Me. After just dabbling and recording over the past couple years, the duo recently released their self-titled full-length City Center. The album is beautifully diverse and swims with sound and experimental electronic loveliness. With brief guest appearances by Mary Pearson from High Places, other friends, as well as tons of sampling, City Center takes sounds that would typically be dubbed as noise or strange and makes something so much more fluid and meaningful. Their raw textures and busy electronic orchestration creates a watery, floating feeling and the vocals are clear, yet soft and blisteringly sweet with harmonies. The duo also has a really entertaining blog, which is apparently how the whole band began in the first place.
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City Center
Self Titled
listen to “Various Tracks” 
www.myspace.com/citycenternyc
| What is the history of the blog? The band basically started as the blog. The project was mostly Fred being broke, bored and lonely in New York with nothing to do except record jams in his bedroom and then post mp3s for the hell of it, trying to reach out in some way. It was a sort of therapeutic thing that grew into an actual band. What was the motivation behind forming City Center? What is your live show like? What instruments/sounds/experimentations were used for your self-titled album? Collaboratively what are your top five favorite songs right now? |
So I’m still working out some kinks, I’m in a state of confusion as to why this page doesn’t show up on my page, but it will soon, so until then, go here http://wordsforfood.wordpress.com/about to contact me or just see me walking through the warehouse district of my lovely home in Bushwick. The sun was blaring bright that day.
