White Swan Black Swan: White Swan Black Swan

By Amanda Mills

Sonya Waters and Ben Howe are two musicians who have been well known in previous incarnations; she in punk band The Instigators, he in Superette and both together in Fang. Their self-titled double mini album is neither a combined effort nor separate projects, but two musicians exploring individual sounds and styles with the same band, including guest violinist Sam Prebble. Both musicians have left the typical indie track with their material, exploring genres of tango music (Finger and Nail), '60s-inspired torch pop (Loyalties), and veering into the realm of the gothic sounds found in David Lynch film soundtracks. While White Swan keeps a detatched tone with her clear, cool voice, Black Swan is more involved, his alt. country styled songs suiting Howe's gravelly voice. Super 8 Home Movies is an excellent example of this, with White Swan's backing vocals adding an otherworldly element. The unaffected production by Ben Nevers (Calexico, Lambchop, David Kilgour) highlights both the disparate vocal work, and the instrumental points of interest in each song. While a similarity to recent albums by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan come to mind, this is certainly a unique album, and White Swan Black Swan are an act worth catching.

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NZ Musician

October/November 2008