Hidden Shoal News
Fall Electric Single Released, Free Download Available
Hidden Shoal Recordings today announced the release of the single ‘Faithless Friend’ by Perth-based compelled acoustic spacemakers Fall Electric. ‘Faithless Friend’ sees Fall Electric in full rock mode. Edgy, overdriven acoustic guitar is lent friction and gravity coupled with cello stabs and bows, woven around urgent, tumbling drums, with Andrew Ryan’s compelling refrain, “Do you think the warmonger was a happy kid?” spilling across the top. The song canters and bucks frenetically before fading away in a wry homage to the Nirvana classic ‘Something In The Way’.
The single also includes the bonus track ‘Sir Sun Shines Strong’, an introspective flipside, brooding and building slowly with its sparse yet expansive air. The track exudes a blend of dashed hope married to unending devotion, until the cello musters an aching scream into the void. This is acoustic folk noir for wide-open spaces.
‘Faithless Friend’ is the first single to be lifted from Fall Electric’s upcoming debut album Measure And Step, out on November 11th 2008. The album was recorded with Casey Rice, who has worked with the likes of Dirty Three, Tortoise and Stereolab.
The single and bonus b-side are now available for free download from the HSR Store until the release of the album. A full press release is available here.
Fall Electric Faithless Friend Fall Electric – Faithless Friend
My Majestic Star Reviewed on Leonard's Lair
Too Late, The Day, the latest album by Chris Mason’s solo project My Majestic Star, has just received a glowing review on the fantastic Leonard’s Lair blog. Visit Leonard’s Lair to read the review in full, or visit the MMS reviews section for an excerpt.
Plus, if you’re in Perth next Thursday, 16th October, don’t forget to catch MMS live with The Slow Beings at the Hyde Park Hotel.
My Majestic Star defects in sunsets My Majestic Star – defects in sunsets
My Majestic Star Album Reviewed on Cyclic Defrost
My Majestic Star’s latest opus, Too Late, The Day, has just received a glowing review on the essential Cyclic Defrost site. Visit Cyclic Defrost to read the review in full, or visit the MMS reviews section for an excerpt.
My Majestic Star forget idaho My Majestic Star – forget idaho
My Majestic Star and The Slow Beings LIVE!
For a Hidden Shoal-tastic night of tasty musical action, you can’t get much better than next Thursday’s Allsorts event: My Majestic Star, The Imps and The Slow Beings live at the Hyde Park Hotel, Perth. Doors open at 8pm and it’s a measly $5 entry.
The Slow Beings already have a formidable live reputation, but this is the first live performance by My Majestic Star. Once exclusively a recording project, one half of My Majestic Star will be performing songs from new album Too Late, The Day. Chris Mason (guitar, vocals) and Miriam Braun (cello) will be holding the fort in the absence of Jamie Hamilton (drums) and Stuart Medley (bass, keys). With more shows to come towards the end of the year with the full band, next Thursday’s show will be an intimate exploration of the band’s sound in a more raw, immediate context. Be there or be deeply saddened by your ineptitude!
My Majestic Star and having a reason why My Majestic Star – and having a reason why
RL/VL Single Released, Free Download Available
Hidden Shoal Recordings today announced the release of the single ‘Kweens’ by Belfast-based electronic composer RL/VL.
‘Kweens’ is the first single to be taken from the forthcoming album Chagrin. Cloaked in tape hiss, the heartbreaking organ figure at the core of the song has enough emotional weight to floor even the most cynical listener. As ‘Kweens’ unfolds, glistening synths circle around the organ, until the melody dissolves in a shimmering outro akin to prime Boards Of Canada. This is ambient electronica of staggering emotive power.
Hidden Shoal Recordings will release RL/VL’s mesmerising full length Chagrin on October 30th 2008. Until the release of the album, ‘Kweens’ will be available for free download from the HSR Store. Chagrin extends a long line of critically acclaimed ambient and instrumental releases available through Hidden Shoal Recordings, including classic works by Slow Dancing Society, Wes Willenbring and Cheekbone.
RL/VL – Kweens RL/VL – Kweens
Slow Dancing Society's Priest Lake Circa '88 Tonevendor Distribution
Slow Dancing Society’s recently released masterpiece Priest Lake Circa ’88 is now available on CD from US distributor Tonevendor. The album joins Slow Dancing Society’s debut release The Sound of Lights When Dim and last year’s opus The Slow and Steady Winter which are also available through Tonevendor and have been amongst the distributors top selling albums over the last few months. All three of these superb albums are also available on CD and in digital format from the HSR Store.
Praise for Priest Lake Circa ’88:
“Slow Dancing Society has a complexity of sound that allows it to stand out from traditionally ambient music… It is easy to get dissolved in this album, to let yourself fall into meditation as the music plays… Textures and timbre are executed with great precision… Even the simplest of songs allow complimentary textures to be layered upon each other to create a robust yet 
spacious sound. The thickest of compositions carry multi-timbral ideas over a wide range of melodies. Guitar is layered upon found sound, effect-laden synths, organs, and other texturally rich instruments. This makes for an album that is an aural delight for the listener. Priest Lake Circa ‘88, while labeled ambient, has its own identity that lets it stand out as a unique album in a sea of homogeneity. Ambient listeners will like this album, while ambient haters would do well to give this album a listen…” – The Silent Ballet
Slow Dancing Society – Pastel Dusk Slow Dancing Society – Pastel Dusk
Colour Kane Music Video Featured At HDFEST
The gorgeous music video for the Colour Kane track ‘Broken‘ taken from their critically acclaimed full length A Taste Of is now being featured at HDFEST.
Head over to HDFEST now to view the video and then head to the HSR Store to stream A Taste Of in it’s entirety.
Colour Kane – Broken Colour Kane – Broken
RL/VL live in London this Saturday night!
New Hidden Shoal signing RL/VL (aka Jack Hamill) will be playing live this Saturday night as part of a Planet Mu / Tippex Records event at Corsica Studios, Elephant Road, London. This is going to be a shit-hot night of cutting-edge electronica, featuring artists such as Boxcutter, Sunken Foal and µ-ziq, so be sure to check it out.
My Majestic Star reviewed on Racket Scan
My Majestic Star’s addictive and immersive new album Too Late, The Day has just been reviewed on the Racket Scan blog. Visit Racket Scan to read the review in full, or go to MMS’s reviews section to read an excerpt. The album is available on CD through Tonevendor, and on CD and mp3 from the HSR Store.
My Majestic Star and having a reason why My Majestic Star – and having a reason why
Slow Dancing Society reviewed on The Silent Ballet and Leonard's Lair
Slow Dancing Society’s stunning third album, Priest Lake Circa ’88, has just received glowing reviews on The Silent Ballet and Leonard’s Lair. Pop along to the respective sites to read the reviews in full, or check out SDS’s bulging reviews section for excerpts. All three SDS albums are available on CD through Tonevendor, and on mp3 (and CD in the case of the new album) through the HSR Store.
Slow Dancing Society The Red Summer Sun Slow Dancing Society – The Red Summer Sun
Hidden Shoal MixTape
