The Haints Of Dean Hall
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:40 pm

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Lyttelton Saturday 19th May Harbourlight with Brian and Maryrose Crook (the Renderers)

Auckland Wednesday 23rd May the Wine Cellar with Steve Abel

Wellington Saturday May 26th Happy with Bonanza

The Haints of Dean Hall are a trans-Tasman duo consisting of brother and sister in law Stephen (formerly of Flying Nun group the Subliminals) from Auckland and Kathryn from Castlemaine, a small town North of Melbourne. Once their musical tastes were so opposing; Kathryn finding the guitar noises of Stephen curious, loud and bewildering, and Stephen could hardly sit through a hearing of a Conway Twitty/Loretta Lyn duet so loved by Kathryn. That was years ago. Their sensibilities since evolved to meet at a very definite point.

Last year they released their debut album on Arch Hill recordings. The first songs from their debut album were recorded during a brief visit Kathryn made to Auckland in the summer of 2005 around a few guitar tracks Stephen had composed. Kathryn was invited to put down vocals and provide some lyrics, most of which were impromptu. Around the sleeps of a five week old baby, the delicate and dusty songs were recorded anywhere that was far away enough as not to wake her up, using one mike and mostly acoustic guitar, in sessions that extended deep into the night. What initially started as a “wonder what would happen if” unfolded before them as ideas were jammed, structures worked out and main tracks put down in a day. These initial recordings were followed by an intense exchange of melody ideas, played over the phone and rough recordings were posted over the sea, to culminate at the second recording session.

After the initial summer 2005 recordings, Kathryn returned to New Zealand for the final writing and completion of the remaining tracks. However, as the original late night sessions contained a certain organic and spontaneous magic, little was changed. Tex Houston, also known for sliding the faders on various 3Ds and Subliminals recordings, was bought in for the final mixing and mastering. The end result is a fragile, rural and low volume contemplative sound; where Julie Cruise meets the Carter Family. Their self titled debut somehow remaining truthful to each of their own musical histories.

More recently they toured with North Island with M. Ward and David Kilgour.

In May, Kathryn will returned from Australia for a small number of intimate shows.

http://www.myspace.com/thehaintsofdeanhall

<b>REVIEWS</b>

Grant Smithies, Sunday Star Times 16 July 2006, gave the Haints FIVE STARS, and described the album as Soft and spooky Aotearoa Gothic.
It's a lovely and deeply moving record. Nostalgic, too. making my eyes tear up and my bum throb from memories of my old man over-eagerly applying the wooden spoon after one of my childhood misdemeanors. Elsewhere, "Pocketbook" threatens to wake the baby with a churn of Eastern-sounding electric guitar chords, "In the Golden Age" channels the sleepy slur of Cat Power, and the two songs "Forelock of Gold" and "Silver Apparition" are the closest any local musicians have come to the gloriously exhausted hillbilly soul of Californian singer Gillian Welch.

The result is an album rich in atmosphere, steeped in stoic sadness, made in New Zealand but peopled by mysterious American ghosts.

Graham Reid, Elsewhere
"This off-kilter and eerily dreamy slice of Americana from a conjured up "South" comes from an unexpected source. and the brief understated songs here, sung in an almost disembodied voice by McCool over spare guitar or what sounds like banjo, certainly evoke spirits of the mysterious kind. The detuned guitars which slip strangely between notes also add to the slightly disconcerting feel in a song cycle which suggests the strange and sometimes dark territory of Eudora Welty stories (and some local counterparts), an aura re-enforced by McCool's stark and emotionally still cover photos. Proof that less can be so much more"

Vicki Anderson from The Press gave the album 4 1/2 stars and said "it is a series of elegant, hushed poetic adult lullabies transported from another era. Quaint, simple and lavishly fragile, this is an album to contemplate and savour"

Lindsay Davis from the Dominion gave four stars and describes the Haints as soaked in sparse fragile mystery. haunting album of gentle alt country vignettes that will stay long after Reay’s final notes have faded. Kathryn has an excellent vocal range and she delights in lingering on notes- almost as though she’s trying to stare you down the duo show their class on a very alluring debut.

Real Groove, July 2006 writes in its Top Deadline Distractions that "this stripped back stunner of an album arrives too late for our review deadline but has been dominating the stereo of late. Its slow lugubrious tones match the bitter chill outside, and this Tex Houston-produced beauty recalls prior local winners like the Renderers.

RE: The Haints Of Dean Hall
Posted: Wed Jan 9, 2008 12:10 pm

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