Parlez vous Hinterland?

Profile. Casey Dienel seems to always challenge herself more than her listeners.

Her ethereally jazzy sound lies somewhere between Bjork’s elfin voice and Miles Davis’ fusion. As a solo artist she offered a cozy and curious mix of  literary lyrics and lingering notes on her first record, “Wind Up Canary,” but such ingenuity is better shared, so Dienel cast her net even wider to create White Hinterland.

“Working solo can get so lonely,” says Dienel, “and it’s more interesting working with other people.”

And make it interesting they certainly do. The  seven-member ensemble weaves a blanket of refreshing sound using violin and steel mixing bowl tied together with Dienel’s gossamer voice and piano magic. Anchored by the snappy single, “Dreaming of Plum Trees,” White Hinterland’s latest CD, “Phylactery Factory,” takes listeners into new territory well worth the trip.

So now that she has a band with six others, what will be her next challenge?

“We won’t record until it gets cold again, but I am writing songs now,” she says. “I am writing in French, which is hilarious. I am not fluent, but beyond proficient. I create these structures to help me write, but I usually end up abandoning them 75 percent of the way through. They help me to get going.”

White Hinterland
Middle East Upstairs
480 Mass. Ave., Cambridge
MBTA: Red Line to Central
$9, 18+, 617-864-EAST
www.mideastclub.com