One Little PlaneUntil(Text Records/Inertia)
Until is the debut album from US singer/songwriter Kathryn Bint, who goes by the moniker One Little Plane. It’s a charming piece of bedroom acoustic pop that has a way of creeping up on you – quiet and inoffensive, but not lightweight or twee. The album’s neo-folky charm is reminiscent of Goldfrapp’s
Seventh Tree, another album that mines into a seam of pastoral dreaminess.
The tone and tempo of this record don’t vary much over the course of 11 songs, although there’s enough here to keep life interesting, including the multi-layered vocal tracks on ‘Lotus Flower’ and the decidedly radio-friendly pop of first single ‘Sunshine Kid’. But largely, the abiding mood of
Until is best summed up by one of Bint’s own lyrics: a “wistful reverie.”
Indeed,
Until demonstrates that Bint has quite the way with words. Her unaffected, earnestly childlike vocals carry lyrics that are simple but rarely simplistic. A wry humour is evident in some of the songs – on the aforementioned ‘Sunshine Kid’ she muses that “I know that life is grand/But mostly it’s just a pain in the ass”, and a couple of songs later on ‘Summer Stream’ she rues the fact that “Here I am all on my own/Singing myself this damn song”. Equally, she’s capable of startlingly concise observations on life and love.
The album was produced by Bint’s boyfriend Kieran Hebden (better known as Four Tet) and released via Hebden’s label Text Records. His influence is apparent in the arrangements, which breathe life into what doubtless started out as simple acoustic numbers, without ever overwhelming their subtle appeal or compromising the album’s raw, organic charm. From the chiming music box that opens the album right through to the dreamy echoes of final track ‘She Waits’, Hebden rarely sets a foot wrong. Nor, for that matter, does Bint. A fine debut.
www.myspace.com/onelittleplaneTom Hawking