Kairos

A transportive offering in a record full of them--strangely relatable, hauntingly beautiful and in the truest sense, exquisite.

Kairos is an intimate account on how stripping things down to a minimum whilst keeping a clear focus on limitations can actually lay emphasis on more unique songwriting.

Casey Dienel and partner Shawn Creeden have created something that has a sense of the familiar yet also a simultaneous feeling of fresh investigation, a record with frequent moments of measured and finely balanced beauty but also a restive application of shifting textures to create a nuanced patchwork of sounds that keep their piquant flavour with repetitive listening.

Kairos represents a bold step for Dienel and White Hinterland, a re-imagining of the music-making process and an example of musical experimentation and evolution.

As languid as the whole affair is, it’s hardly sleepy, as Dienel can switch from pixie crooner (“Moon Jam”) to sweet soul sister (“Begin Again”) at the flip of a switch, resulting in a collection of bedroom songs that not only engage upon first listen, but beg to played throughout the rest of the house, as well.

Although each track sounds different, there's an admirable flow across the whole album.

Kairos is not an album completely devoid of charm. The R&B influence gives the songs a weight they might otherwise lack.

Some of the pleasures of Kairos come from the grooves and the surfaces, which can be quite beautiful and lush. Yet just as often, the pleasures are in listening past those, being surprised to find how disarming the lyrics can sometimes be.

It's brave pop omnivorism, with Daniel and friends grabbing whatever they need in the name of reinvention. [Winter 2010, p.66]

Casey and collaborator Shawn Creeden deliver a bold album that eschews their previous organic approach in favour of a more electronic direction. The effect is intoxicating. [Apr 2010, p.92]

The way the elements hang together effortlessly on "Cataract" is worthy of Bat for Lashes, or even Bjork. [Apr 2010, p.109]