Hidden Shoal News
The Sound Sessions, KUCI
Those of you good music loving folk living somewhere near Orange County would already know about the awesome radio show on KUCI, The Sound Session. If you’re shaking your head sideways in minor embarrassment at this point then head over to the show’s blog and check out the playlists and other info for further convincing. For all you non O.C. types fear not as as you can catch the show online Thursdays 8-10pm (local time) via the KUCI live stream. If you managed to catch the show last week you would have heard the brilliant new My Majestic Star single featured alongside music by our very own Monocle, Autolux, Film School, Wolf Parade, Broken Social Scene and Ratatat to name but a few.
Monocle – Green Future Monocle – Green Future
The Slow Beings reviewed on Ondarock and FasterLouder
The Slow Beings’ fantastic debut album We Know Why The Earth Moves has just been reviewed on popular Italian site Ondarock and Australian site FasterLouder. Visit the respective sites to read the reviews in full or visit The Slow Beings’ reviews section for excerpts.
The Slow Beings – I Waste The Sea The Slow Beings – I Waste The Sea
My Majestic Star on Eardrums
The excellent nordic music blog Eardrums has just featured the new My Majestic Star single ‘and having a reason why‘. Be sure to head over there and discover some wonderful music and free downloads. Highly recommended.
And of course if you haven’t yet tasted the deliciously blurry goodness of ‘and having a reason why’ then head over to the HSR Store where you can download it for free until the new My Majestic Star album is released in late August.
Fall Electric LIVE!
New Hidden Shoal signings Fall Electric are playing live at the Bakery in Perth tomorrow night, August 2nd. They’ll be playing songs from their forthcoming album Measure and Step, which is released on November 11th. Catch this awesome band live before every punter in the Southern Hemisphere is stampeding like a rabid zombie to see them too! But don’t just take our word for it; Drum Perth said: “They’re the kind of musicians who together are capable of mesmerizing audiences into complete silence.” Now GO!
New My Majestic Star Single, Free Download
Hidden Shoal Recordings today announced the release of the new single ‘and having a reason why’ by Australian ambient-rock artist My Majestic Star, taken from the forthcoming sophomore album Too Late, The Day.
A twenty-first-century update of the sublime shoegaze sounds of Ride, My Majestic Star’s new single carries the listener across an expansive guitarscape with its distinctive bass-driven groove. ‘and having a reason why’ is a vertiginous wall of sound, suspended aloft with updrafts of delay and reverb and, for the first time on a My Majestic Star release, Chris Mason’s heavenly vocals. This is dance music for sleepwalkers and dreamers.
“My Majestic Star’s songs reach for the sky like all the best post-rock but you never get the sense he’s trying to blow your face off… Mason steers well clear of obvious influences. He manages to make music from relative isolation that like a lot of absolutely solo work tends towards the quiet and wounded… Ideas Are the Answer is optimistic from the title on down; this a record that respects and honors our melancholy without ever falling for the fallacy that it’s a permanent state of affairs” – Stylus Magazine on the debut My Majestic Star album Ideas Are The Answer
‘and having a reason why’ is now available from the Hidden Shoal Recordings Store. The single will be available for free download until the new My Majestic Star album Too Late, The Day is released on 26th August 2008.
Check out a full press release here and download the single here.
My Majestic Star – and having a reason why My Majestic Star – and having a reason why
Slow Dancing Society on CD from Tonevendor
Slow Dancing Society’s debut album The Sound of Lights When Dim and last year’s opus The Slow and Steady Winter are now available on CD from US distributor Tonevendor, with new album Priest Lake Circa ’88 also available through Tonevendor in late August or early September. Or if high quality mp3s are your thing, all three of these superb albums are now available for download from the HSR Store.
Praise for ‘A Warm Glow‘ off Priest Lake Circa ’88:
“a fine piece of what the Society’s music is about. It’s a slowly circling, gliding instrumental with a gentle touch of sea breeze, long drinks and fluffy clouds on the horizon” – Luna Kafe
Praise for The Slow and Steady Winter:
“superb sophomore effort by Washington-based Drew Sullivan… Frozen sheets of sound course through the epic ambient settings… which don’t so much showcase guitar virtuosity as they do lyrical beauty… Be sure to play the album loud in order to fully bask in its splendor” – Textura
Praise for The Sound of Lights When Dim:
“Music is all about moments like this. Moments when you are, unexpectedly, knocked over and stunned into submission by an album that has, quite literally, came from nowhere… The Sound of Lights When Dim is a deeply affecting, consistently excellent effort of stunning tranquility and beautiful ambience, that demands repeated listening” – Boring Machines Disturbs Sleep
Slow Dancing Society – Be There Slow Dancing Society – Be There
Hidden Shoal Recordings Sign Fall Electric
Hidden Shoal Recordings is proud to announce the signing of Perth based compelled acoustic space makers Fall Electric. The band features local music luminaries Andrew Ryan (adamsaidgalore), Tristen Parr (Schvendes), Pete Guazzelli (Gata Negra) and Stina Thomas (Stina).
“They’re the kind of musicians who together are capable of mesmerizing audiences into complete silence” – Drum Perth
“Like watching a Bull Fight, Fall Electric are able to stir the audience with frenetic pace and danger and leave them with a sense of calm and relief. Ole!” – Xpress Magazine
Hidden Shoal Recordings will release the band’s brilliant debut album Measure and Step on November 11th 2008 with the first single due out early October. The album was recorded with Casey Rice who has worked with the likes of The Dirty Three, Liz Fair, Tortoise, Stereolab and Grand Salvo.
Read a full press release here and check out more info on the band here.
The Slow Beings reviewed on Delusions of Adequacy
The Slow Beings’ stunning debut album We Know Why The Earth Moves has just received a cracking review on Delusions of Adequacy:
“The Slow Beings are the kind of band that could break through onto the mainstream. They already control the hooks, melodies and riffs to compete with anyone. It’s a surprise that this album hasn’t been getting more attention because We Know Why the Earth Moves is a great listen. These Australian cats know how to make catchy music that works in many different ways…”
Read the full review on DoA, or pop along to The Slow Beings’ reviews section to read another excerpt, plus other great reviews.
New My Majestic Star Single Out Soon, Album in August
We’ve been holding this news a little close to our chests until we confirmed the timing but we can now excitedly announce that the new My Majestic Star album will be released on August 26th. If that didn’t get your skin tingling then how about the news that the first single to be taken from the album will released next week and will be available for free download until the album is released?
For the uninitiated check out My Majestic Star‘s amazing debut album Ideas Are The Answer and superb follow up EP Fining. And for any non-believers who need further proof see what Stylus Magazine had to say about Ideas are the Answer,
“What’s most striking, as those descriptions indicate, is the lack of aggression. My Majestic Star’s songs (as gauzy and atmospheric as Ideas Are the Answer gets these are still definitely songs) reach for the sky like all the best post-rock but you never get the sense he’s trying to blow your face off, even on the relatively high gear “Keep the Keys from Me.”…“Carry the Breeze” evokes some of the gentler remixes on Mogwai’s Kicking a Dead Pig, but mostly Mason steers well clear of obvious influences. He manages to make music from relative isolation that like a lot of absolutely solo work tends towards the quiet and wounded, but Ideas Are the Answer is optimistic from the title on down; this a record that respects and honors our melancholy without ever falling for the fallacy that it’s a permanent state of affairs.” – Stylus Magazine
My Majestic Star – Attachments My Majestic Star – Attachments
Slow Dancing Society single review on Luna Kafe
Slow Dancing Society’s gorgeous single ‘A Warm Glow‘, taken from the just-released new album Priest Lake Circa ’88, has just receiving a, ahem, glowing review on Norwegian music zine Luna Kafe:
“a fine piece of what the Society’s music is about. It’s a slowly circling, gliding instrumental with a gentle touch of sea breeze, long drinks and fluffy clouds on the horizon.”
Slow Dancing Society – A Warm Glow Slow Dancing Society – A Warm Glow
Hidden Shoal MixTape
