(Dead Oceans) www.deadoceans.com

Casey Dienel and her cohorts under the White Hinterland banner have fashioned an alluring forty-five minutes that eludes easy categorization. Her vocals swoop between registers, occasionally bringing to mind Bjork, but with a gentler approach, closer to Erin McKeown. She also harks back to Lora Logic, in a more compact setting, cabaret rather than a punked-up underground club. Largely piano-based, the songs mix traditional melodic sensibilities with experimental inclinations, as if Nilsson had joined the Art Bears. Standard rock instrumentation gives way to chamber strings, sometimes dancing together in the same number. Still in her early twenties, Dienel’s writing is strikingly mature, sometimes overtly so, as if she’s trying hard to justify her move to the big table. But that’s a minor quibble, and as she relaxes into her work, her influences will be further clouded, as an even more confident voice emerges. Tune in, and stay tuned.

Standout Tracks: “Dreaming of the Plum Trees,” “Calliope” DAVID GREENBERGER