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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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James William Hindle
Wednesday 09 April @ 12:30:45 |
 by Rob van Alstyne
In the battle of depressive singer/songwriters with a knack for melody, chalk up another one for the United Kingdom (already the proud home of the genre’s dark prince, Nick Drake). The Brits have just scored another savagely good goal against the competition in the form of Yorkshire-bred James William Hindle’s sophomore outing and forthcoming summer release, Prospect Park. Hindle’s icy tenor possesses just the right amount of quaver to let the listener know his heart aches beneath his steely exterior, and the laid-back groove of his band injects his early-70s-styled singer-songwriter fare with just a hint of sinister sexuality on tracks like the slinky “Come Down Slowly.”
The whole of Prospect Park feels like a natural progression from Hindle’s self-titled out-of-nowhere debut. Hindle, a record store worker at the dawn of the century, forged a rather unlikely path towards his fledgling musical career. Catching wind of Red House Painter front man Mark Kozelek’s intention to produce a John Denver tribute album, Hindle offered up an unsolicited demo of “Whispering Jesse” so stunning that he wound up with a recording offer from one of America’s up-and-coming independent labels, San Francisco-based Bad Man Recording Co.
Finding himself in America and with the aid of some stellar musicians (among them former American Music Club drummer Tim Mooney), Hindle delivered the goods on his debut, a sparse eight-song collection of folk songs boasting beautiful cello arrangements and some odd-ball cover choices (the Bee Gee’s “I Started a Joke” and the slightly more understandable Glen Campbell number, “Less of Me”).
Although a fine start, Prospect Park feels like a much more assured and assertive offering. Gone are the covers, replaced with 11 original tunes that run the gamut from British Americana (is that possible?) with the aptly titled “Country Song” to borderline rock on the crunchy electric tune, “Hollow Bodies.”
All British singer/songwriters with something on their mind and an acoustic guitar in their hands are doomed to Nick Drake comparisons, and, to be honest, Hindle invited them on his debut. Thankfully Hindle has moved far beyond any easy pigeon-holing; no longer looking towards any one particular early 70s singer/songwriter for his cues, Hindle appears to take his pointers from a number of sources, including Neil Young (“Country Song”) John Lennon (“Hoboken”) and Jackson Browne (“Shadows Cast a Lie”). Which isn’t to say that Hindle is merely a singer/songwriter juxebox replaying the greats—nothing could be further from the truth. It’s just that a classically minded, straightforward singer/songwriter like Hindle has become such an increasing rarity that it’s hard to talk about him without looking back to past greats. That may ultimately be the highest compliment one could pay him.
James William Hindle plays Sun., Apr. 13, at the 7th St. Entry opening for Of Montreal and with the Conquerors. 8 p.m. $6. 21+. 701 1st Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8388.
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