Hidden Shoal News
Memorybell “Obsolete” Released
Hidden Shoal is proud to announce the release of Obsolete, the debut album by piano minimalist Memorybell, the ambient project of Grant Hazard Outerbridge. In February 2014, Outerbridge awoke in a hospital with no memory of how he had arrived. He was diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a condition that causes the brain to temporarily stop making new memories. When he returned to the piano, Outerbridge found his previous compositions sounded garish. He pared them down to their essence and, along with new, more spacious material, constructed a set of variegated and subtle songs that explore the interplay between dissonance and silence. Recorded live in a single sitting using just a creaky grand piano and two microphones, Obsolete is as concerned with exploring the spaces between notes as the notes themselves, giving each song room to breathe and encouraging the ear to wander. The percussive qualities of the piano are almost dissolved by the air surrounding each note, leaving an aching space for the tones to resonate.
Obsolete is available now via the Memorybell Bandcamp and all good 3rd party digital stores and streaming services. Obsolete will be launched at a special show in Denver on September 1st. More details on this closer to the date.
Antonymes “Delicate Power (In The Hands Of Others)” EP, New Music Video
Hidden Shoal is proud to announce Delicate Power (In The Hands of Others), a new EP by acclaimed neo-classical ambient artist Antonymes featuring the single ‘Delicate Power’.
‘Delicate Power’ is the second single to be taken from Antonymes’ sublime new album (For Now We See) Through A Glass Dimly. The track showcases Antonymes deft musical skills with its restrained rhythms infusing the melodies with a gravitas that is at once warmly human and gravely austere. The single is accompanied by a gorgeous music video filmed by the incredible people at Chasing Light and shot on location at a beautiful, hidden otherworld in mid Wales.
The hypnotic rhythmic underpinning of ‘Delicate Power’ has invited five magical re-workings on this EP, each with its own subtle majesty. Marconi Union tease the original into a beautifully orchestrated anti-gravity ballad. Markus Mehr’s inimitable skills for re-invention have helped him to create a brooding version that draws heavily on the original’s rhythmic details. Lvmark’s reinterpretation foregrounds the melodic elements of the original, wedded to gently pulsing electronica. Alongside these three guest remixes, there are two reworkings from Antonymes himself: ‘Delicate Power’ (Waltz For Mary Anne)’ transforms the original into a beautiful, late-night swing, and ‘Delicate Power (Jung’s Drug Drum Waltz)’ lives up to the promise of its title with more heft to its woody rhythms.
Delicate Power (In The Hands of Others) is available now via Antonymes’ Bandcamp and the usual 3rd party online stores. Be sure to check out Antonymes’ sublime new album (For Now We See) Through A Glass Dimly while you’re there.
Re-Issue of Erik Nilsson’s “Recollage” Out Now!
Hidden Shoal is proud to announce the reissue of Recollage, Erik Nilsson’s superb debut album and predecessor to his sublime 2015 album Hearing Things.
There is a vibrant playfulness across Recollage’s nine tracks, with each song mapping out its own discrete world. Nilsson skilfully mixes electronics with live instruments and field recordings, before subjecting the songs to digital manipulation, creating an uncanny and arresting blend that is often as technically dizzying as it is musically and emotionally engaging. Glitchy yet exquisitely tuneful, Recollage’s music-box melodies bring to mind Björk’s Vespertine, while its compositional style is reminiscent of The Books’ cut-up approach to songcraft.
Recollage is clearly a vivid precursor to acclaimed second album Hearing Things (2015), but also its own unique creature. First released through Luxus-Artica Records in 2011, Recollage has received extra instrumentation, been fully re-mastered, and also includes the original version of album track ‘Rumore del Roma’.
“Nilsson’s work lands in something of a sweet spot for me as a listener, taking approachable bases, things possessed of an easy, lilting beauty, and then working them through this filter or that concept, finding workable juxtapositions and pushing envelopes as he goes” – Hypnagogue on Hearing Things
Download Recollage now via Erik Nilsson’s Bandcamp or find it in your favourite 3rd party online store/streaming service.
More airplay for Antonymes on BBC6
More airplay for Antonymes on BBC6 thanks once again to Mary Anne Hobbs. She rounded off her 6 Music Recommends show this week with “Delicate Power (A Waltz For Mary Anne)”, which is taken from the forthcoming Remix EP, Delicate Power (In The Hands Of Others).
Delicate Power (In The Hands Of Others), which will see release on the 31st of June 2016, features remixes from Marconi Union, Markus Mehr, Lvmark and Antonymes. Stream the show here and check out the trailer for the EP below.
Arc Lab Joins Hidden Shoal, New Album In July
We’re very excited to announce the addition of Arc Lab to the Hidden Shoal family. Arc Lab is of course Hidden Shoal artist Medard Fischer’s primary vehicle for musical experimentation – a blank-slate platform on which he has released a diverse catalogue of emotive, conceptual work.
Arc Lab’s last release, 2008’s The Goodbye Radio on the wonderful n5MD label, was described as “genre-defying or, perhaps most appropriately, genre-transcending” (Textura) and as “one of the most original releases in the IDM field in some time” and “downright ingenious” ([sic] Magazine). Almost 8 years on it’s easy to see why we’re champing at the bit to tell you about his new album Anthem, out 28th July 2016. Yet rather than sully the experience with words now, we’ll ask you to hold on until the 9th of June when first single ‘Burning Glass’ drops. It’s worth the wait, trust us. Read more on Arc Lab here.
New Antonymes EP Trailer
We’re excited to announce the forthcoming Antonymes EP, Delicate Power (In the Hands of Others). The EP which sees the light of day on the 31st of May features remixes from Marconi Union, Markus Mehr, Lvmark and Antonymes himself.
Check out the EP trailer at Youtube or Vimeo and also stream the single ‘Delicate Power’ over at SoundCloud ahead of the EP release. ‘Delicate Power’ is lifted from Antonymes stunning new album (For Now We See) Through A Glass Dimly, available now.
Kramies New Single ‘Into The Sparks’ Out Now!
It’s a special day when you get to share a new single from our very own dream pop troubadour Kramies. So you can’t hold back our excitement at being able to announce the release of Kramies’ stunning new single ‘Into The Sparks’. A duet with French singer-songwriter Alma Forrer, ‘Into The Sparks’ is a gorgeous anti-gravity ballad. Kramies and Alma’s voices reverberate amidst open acoustic guitar chords, backed by aching synths. Simply beautiful. The release also comes with a special acoustic version of the single.
Head to Kramies’ BandCamp to grab yourself a free download of the single. Be sure to check out Kramies other releases, music videos and news here and listen to more of Alma Forrer’s music here.
“Still” – A Mixtape Curated by Memorybell
With an album due out next month that is an abject lesson in understanding the spaces between things, Grant Hazard Outerbridge (aka Memorybell) is well poised to present this beautiful mixtape, aptly entitled Still. Lets hand it over to the man himself to explain.
“Society these days is in such a rush. We bounce from one thing to the next, often, it seems, with little idea of where we’re going. As an artist I attempt to fold into my process a slowing down, preferably to a stasis where blurred notes and ideas become suspended, frozen in air where I can analyze and manipulate them. The songs included here for me represent stillness in many of its forms: sitting with discomfort, ennui, idleness, sadness, relief, and release. Once distraction is removed, we’re left with our bodies and thoughts which, in turn, can lead us to some unexpected realizations.” – Grant Hazard Outerbridge (Memorybell)
Joe Sampson Joins the Hidden Shoal Family!
We’re excited to announce the signing of the wonderful Joe Sampson to the Hidden Shoal family of artists. Sampson’s music evokes the comfortably sad acoustic tones of Nick Drake or Leonard Cohen, ornamented with often darkly humorous lyrics, intoned in a soft yet road-worn baritone. A champion of the musical understatement, Sampson creates songs that exude a gently mesmerising beauty.
Since his childhood days singing in his family’s barbershop quartet, up through his years collaborating with celebrated musicians like Nathaniel Rateliff and Esme Patterson, Joe Sampson has steadily sharpened his sound and style, becoming one of Denver’s most celebrated songwriters. Westword named him Songwriter of the Year in 2008, describing his work as “combining the emotional weight of acoustic breakup albums like Beck’s Sea Change or Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker with an aw-fuck-it humour.”
Joe’s sublime new EP Songs of Delay will see release through Hidden Shoal on the 12th of September, with a single dropping in August. Joe Sampson’s music also joins the Hidden Shoal licensing catalogue and is available for all licensing and publishing needs. Read more here.
Antonymes Featured on Radio National’s Inside Sleeve
Antonymes has been featured on the latest edition of Inside Sleeve on ABC Radio National. His work will also feature on the next show which will be dedicated to piano based works. Thanks to the lovely Paul Gough!Hidden Shoal MixTape
