Kairos Dead Ocans ***

A change is as good as a rest, and White Hinterland's Casey Dienel is relishing following a different set of stars this time around. On her last album ( Phylactery Factory), the Oregon singer-songwriter was all about jazzy, folky, quirky tunes that took flight on the breeze. In hindsight, there wasn't really all that much to distinguish her schtick from others also chasing a Starbucks' endorsement. Here, Dienel and collaborator Shaun Creedon forage in the shadows to find a much deeper, darker, enticing set of songs to call their own. What's most striking about how these experimental and electronic edges mark out the new Hinterland is that they embellish rather than dillute Dienel's songs. The mood may remain low-key, but there's much more sonic bite and intriguing drama beneath the folds of songs such as Begin Again, Amsterdam and Icarus. See whitehinterland.com JIM CARROLL

Download tracks: Icarus, Amsterdam