Hinterland

There are two bands with the name Hinterland - a now defunct Irish duo who split up in the early 1990s, and a Canadian band which formed in the 2000s. 1) Since forming at the turn of the millennium, Hinterland has sought to stake out its own patch of sonic turf somewhere near the intersection of wall-of-guitars rock and whisper-soft ambience. Fronted by Michaela Galloway's otherworldly vocals, the Vancouver band has earned its share of superlatives, with critics describing its music as "evocative", "atmospheric", and "irresistible".

1) Since forming at the turn of the millennium, Hinterland has sought to stake out its own patch of sonic turf somewhere near the intersection of wall-of-guitars rock and whisper-soft ambience. Fronted by Michaela Galloway's otherworldly vocals, the Vancouver band has earned its share of superlatives, with critics describing its music as "evocative", "atmospheric", and "irresistible". In Hinterland's world, the standard rock instrumentation of guitars, bass, and drums is often augmented by unexpected touches of oboe, flute, glockenspiel, baritone guitar, EBow, and synthesizer. The songs shimmer, drone, and chime, sometimes lulling the listener into a blissful state before blasting off into the ether.

2) The Irish group Hinterland, consisting of Donal Coghlan and Gerry Leonard, was formed in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1987. Shortly after moving back to Dublin in 1989 they signed to Island Records and the album "Kissing The Roof Of Heaven" was released the following year. A followup never materialised and the band parted with the label in 1994, and split soon thereafter. Guitarist Leonard went on to play for other artists including David Bowie, Duncan Sheik and Suzanne Vega, and also has his own project called Spooky Ghost.