Hope Against Hope



As members of The Cat's Miaow, Kerrie Bolton and Andrew Withycombe help create pretty, smart pop music. With their other band Hydroplane, they do the same, but use an expanded palette of styles and sounds. The key difference is electronics over conventional instruments, with Withycombe using an apparent assortment of unspecified electronic devices to build a deep array of unique, layered musical arrangements to support Bolton's elegant and intimate crooner's voice. Hydroplane's first two albums, one self-titled and one called Hope Against Hope, introduced their sound as ambient pop: catchy but relaxed melodic tunes set in carefully crafted dreamy atmospheres. With their third album The Sound of Changing Places, the duo pushes their sound in all sorts of new directions, emphasizing playful experimentation while still giving appropriate attention to pop songcraft. Hydroplane's electronic pop creations at times travel into funky territory that would make them dance-floor-ready, especially on Embassy Café, an energetic pop tour through a night on the town. That track also has affairs of the heart at its core. Love, loneliness, infatuation -- these themes pop up on just about every great pop record ever made, and The Sound of Changing Places is no exception. The last two songs, Cry My Heart and World Without You, are especially touching portraits of love, giving the album a sweetness to match its musical dexterity. By the album's end, Hydoplane have traveled through myriad musical worlds, but they haven't forgotten to map the human heart, either. Bio for Hydroplane (not the band, but the artist of the album Flowers): Hydroplane is the stage name of producer/musician Renzo Gorrio. Having been raised in the suburbs of Miami, FL with nothing to do but inline skate and make music, both became passions. Music stuck, leading to an eventual move with his band Late Night Curly to Portland, OR for 2 years where he honed his production skills and musical chops. His first two full lengths released were of the IDM styling; however, his more recent work has more of a melodic, indie pop vibe, akin to what a Gorgio Morroder and Mathew Dear collaboration might sound like if they both got together to record in Argentina. Arpeggiators and vocoders are no strangers to this pup. Pop it in… Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.