Outer Face

Outer Face is an intimate experience that extends the mood of Matthew E. White's funky debut release, Big Inner, while offering a minimalist counterpoint to it through stripped-down instrumentation. The guitars, keyboards, and horns of Big Inner are nowhere to be found. Instead, arrangements are confined to rubbery bass lines, floor toms, assorted percussion, and prominent use of strings swooping in and out. Deconstructing his sound to these basic elements is an imaginative move, and one that works especially well rhythmically. There's plenty of space here, but the groove is always strong. The other magic ingredients are the female vocalists backing up White's smooth baritone croon. Dreamy and ethereal, their voices hover in the background yet are an essential part the sound. Hypnotic and slightly eccentric, Outer Face is a low-key gem.