Hidden Shoal News
Sneak Peeks of New Video from The October Solution!
We’re excited to share some production stills from the forthcoming music video for The October Solution track ‘Lost’. The video is being produced by the wonderful Studio Sunkie team who also made the brilliant clip for City of Satellites’ ‘Machine Is My Animal (Tin Manzano Remix)‘. ‘Lost’ is taken from The October Solution’s recently released debut album Axis Swim Scar.
Let’s add some context to those beautiful stills – “the video tells the tale of a sea monster’s doomed love affair with a woman who abruptly disappears. During his obsession driven search for her he not only comes to re-examine the darker aspects of their relationship, but also to question the very nature of everything he believes in.” Now that is our kind of story!
Click to enlarge.
Hotels’ Full Discography Joins The Hidden Shoal Catalogue
We’re very excited to announce that the full Hotels‘ discography has now joined the Hidden Shoal Publishing catalogue. From the band’s utterly brilliant debut Thank You For Choosing through to their most recent series of Cinemascope EPs, Hotels create a bewitching brew of dark post-punk and upbeat new wave pop. Driving basslines, Swedish pop melodies, cavernous surf guitar and washes of sad movie strings wind their way around Blake Madden’s unmistakable baritone vocals.
The tracks from all six Hotels releases along with a number of remixes are now available for licensing (master & sync cleared) for film, tv, web, games, compilations and more. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any licensing enquiries. Read more about Hotels and stream their music here.
Todd Tobias ‘Malayakolam (Rising Sun)’
We have another delicious cut from the forthcoming Todd Tobias album Tristes Tropiques for you. Opening track ‘Malayakoam (Rising Sun)‘, along with accompanying video, is a brooding, writhing, atmospheric “otherworld” and expertly sets the tone for the album.
Tristes Tropiques drops on the 9th of June 2015 through Hidden Shoal and Tiny Room Records and comes bundled with the gorgeous companion EP Moorea. Don’t forget to check out the first offering from the album, ‘Suvarnabhumi‘.
Kramies Live at the Père Lachaise Cemetery
Check out this wonderful feature in the French zine PopNews and see Kramies give us a gorgeous live rendition of ‘The Wooden Heart’ at the same French cemetery that Jim Morrison and so many dead poets and musicians now call home!
“The Sparkling Ground” MixTape by Chloe March
We have another delicious artist curated mixtape to quench your thirsty ears. The Sparkling Ground comes to us courtesy of the supremely talented UK songstress Chloe March as she takes us from the Cocteau Twins to Flying Lotus to Grasscut to Kate Bush and beyond. Here’s what Chloe has to say about the mix,
“Songs that sparkle and songs that evoke a powerful sense of place and often both things combined in the same song. I’m fascinated by melancholy and rapture in song and the way the two play with each other. A lot of this music is fairly new to me, music I fell in love with once I’d finished my own album, but there are some old friends here too, artists who have had and still have a profound effect on me, both as a listener and a writer. Hope you enjoy this sparkling sound-trip.”
“The Sparkling Ground” A MixTape by Chloe March by Hidden Shoal on Mixcloud
Hypnotic New Single and Forthcoming Album from Todd Tobias
We’re excited to announce the forthcoming release of Tristes Tropiques, the new album by prolific multi-instrumentalist and producer Todd Tobias (Circus Devils, Ricked Wicky, Robert Pollard). Hypnotic and melancholy-soaked, Tristes Tropiques draws comparisons to the eerie, transportive work of The Fun Years, The Gentleman Losers and Ian William Craig. Within his consistently excellent solo discography, Tristes Tropiques may prove to be Todd Tobias’s best work to date, sustaining its immersive atmosphere throughout its 45-minute run-time.
To get you in the mood the first single from the album, ‘Suvarnabhumi’, is out now and available for free download and streaming. Tristes Tropiques drops on the 9th of June 2015 through Hidden Shoal and Tiny Room Records and comes bundled with the gorgeous companion EP Moorea.
Tristes Tropiques takes its title from the book by French anthropologist Claude Levi Strauss, which literally translates as “sad tropics”. Tobias sought to evoke far-flung places where indigenous cultures have either vanished or are in the process of being swallowed up by an ever-expanding global civilization. Sinister yet alluring, these musical environments throb with sensuality, danger and promise.
Hidden Shoal Artists Featured at Textura This Month
It’s a Hidden Shoal bonanza at Textura at the moment! Tracks from The October Solution, Kramies and Les Limbes are all featured along with the new video for Markus Mehr’s ‘Only For A While’.
Check it all out here.
Featured Track – Todd Tobias ‘Night of the Clubfoot’
Choosing a single track from any of Todd Tobias‘s shadowy instrumental albums offers a tantalising glimpse into his intoxicating universe of sound. In the case of ‘Night of the Clubfoot’, the opening track of Medicine Show, a distorted electric guitar weaves a gorgeous, unexpected melodic progression over a doomy dirge. If Medicine Show is a movie, then ‘Night of the Clubfoot’ is the curtain drawing back to reveal something horrible and hypnotic. This is atmospheric instrumental rock staggering through a glass darkly; a fantastical world that’s deep and dangerous enough to lose yourself in.
New Single from The Star Department Out Now!
After premiering on the Crackling Vinyl blog, we’re excited to be able to announce the official availability of The Star Department’s new single. ‘This Ship Won’t Sail’ is a stunning introduction to the duo’s inventive take on expansive down-tempo indie pop and the perfect intro to the band’s forthcoming full length The Pea Green Boat. The song’s organ-driven twists and turns evoke the dark charm of Psychedelic Fur’s ‘Sister Europe’, Deerhunter’s more pop-leaning moments, and the chiming guitar work of seminal Flying Nun outfits. Never self-indulgent yet never predictable, this is hypnotic, emotive stuff.
‘Art rock with a nice, romantic/melodic edge’ – The Guardian
The Star Department are multi-instrumentalists Justin Commins (Kill Krinkle Club) and Michael Orange (Feather Beds, Soft Bones), who formed in Dublin in 2006. Their forthcoming debut album The Pea Green Boat, mixed by Tom McFall (Bloc Party, REM, Stars, Weezer), charts a beguiling journey through gently psychedelic waters.
‘This Ship Won’t Sail’ is available now for download with Pea Green Boat dropping on the 7th of July 2015 through Hidden Shoal.
Kramies Live Session and Feature at IndieMusic
Photo by Jérôme Sevrette
After Kramies whirlwind tour of France, we are left a wake of wonderful features, live sessions and reviews from a range of awesome French mags, zines and blogs to share with you. Case in point is this fantastic feature at the excellent IndieMusic, including some stunning photos of the man himself and a beautiful live version of ‘The Wooden Heart’.
Check it out here and watch this space and as we share more of Kramies French gems!
Hidden Shoal MixTape
