White Hinterland preview

White Hinterland
Hideout, Chicago
Monday, June 16, 2008

Casey Dienel must hold the classic Peanuts cartoon specials dear to her heart. The 22-year-old pianist emulates the legendary Vince Guaraldi on her second disc, Phylactery Factory (Dead Oceans), especially on “Dreaming Of The Plum Trees.” Instrumentally the song constitutes a perfect foil for our unlikely hero Charlie Brown, even if the lyrics cite the sexual activities of the upstairs neighbors. It’s easy to imagine the “round-headed kid” shuffling over to Lucy’s psychiatrist booth in time with the song’s bouncing bass line.

Released under the moniker White Hinterland and with a band en tow, Dienel’s follow-up to 2006’s Wind-Up Canary explores some dark territory and refrains from the usual autobiographical flourishes associated with singer-songwriters. If Dienel is recovering from a relationship gone awry or living in joyful bliss, this disc doesn’t hint at either scenario.

With vocals melding Martha Wainwright’s coyness and Regina Spektor’s ingenuousness, Dienel coos on the undulating “Destruction Of The Art Deco House.” The trembling “Napoleon At Waterloo” takes a cue from Arcade Fire (minus about 20 people), while “Vessels” closes the album with a hauntingly sparse rumination on Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.”

Odawas open.

— Janine Schaults

Click here to download “Dreaming Of The Plum Trees.”

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly