Hinterland
Under the Waterline
Hybrid Electric Records
Vancouver’s Hinterland live up to their namesake on their stunning debut long player, bringing a sense of sweeping beauty and aching loneliness to the album’s 10 tracks.
At times reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins, singer Michaela Galloway’s voice immediately brings the Twins’ Liz Fraser to mind, and their early nineties UK shoegaze brethren, the band crafts lush, moody soundscapes using a diverse blend of instruments such as oboe, flute and glockenspiel to augment the effects-laden guitars and synthesizers with Galloway’s gorgeous, ethereal vocals rising above the dense wall of sound her bandmates often create. Describing the music as “atmospheric” would be a grand understatement.
Galloway’s voice is the disc’s centrepiece, subtly shifting from soft and fragile to soaring, near operatic levels, often in the course of one song, displayed to best effect on the swirling ‘Portrait of my Invention’ and the haunting ‘Low Low Lights’. Two tracks that are guaranteed to make your hair stand on end.
Under the Waterlineis one of those rare albums that stands up to repeated listens with each subsequent spin turning up new, subtle nuances. A truly remarkable first effort from a band that definitely bears watching. Track down a copy of this gem and get in on the ground floor, now!
- Andrew Horan
(Incidentally, there isn't actually any glockenspiel on Under the Waterline, but there likely be some on the new album.)
posted by John @ 12/11/2004 11:32:00 AM
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