Hidden Shoal News
Glowing Reviews for Markus Mehr's "Off"
If you’ve heard this album then you will immediately understand why Markus Mehr’s third and final installment in his year long tryptych has been attracting such glowing reviews. Off has recently been covered by Brainwashed, A Closer Listen and Petal Music with each reviewer providing a beautifully written insight into what is an amazing album.
“There is a mind boggling breadth of ideas and moments captured in the piece, and yet no thought or melodic impulse receives less than full consideration. Indeed, it is this deep attention to detail which amazed me on my first listen to In, and which now bears full fruit in Off.” – Petal Music
Off is available in digital (MP3 + FLAC) formats and as a very limited edition CD. Head to the Hidden Shoal Store to check it out along with Mehr’s previous releases including the other two components of the triptych In and On.
Markus Mehr – Off (excerpt)
Apricot Rail's "Quarrels" Available for CD Pre-Order!
Apricot Rail’s much anticipated sophomore album Quarrels is now available for CD pre-order from the Hidden Shoal Store. All pre-orders come with an immediate FLAC or Mp3 download of the album and a beautiful extended digital booklet is also available for download.
Almost four years after the release of their acclaimed self-titled debut album, Perth-based multi-instrumental pop sextet Apricot Rail return with their sophomore album Quarrels, which features the singles ‘Basket Press’ and ‘Surry Hills’. A foray into more experimental territory, Quarrels features lusher, denser instrumentation, is rich in ideas yet toys with new levels of restraint. The band’s trademark harmonic guitar passages and syncopation sit beneath languid brass and woodwind, balanced by glitchy electronica, dramatic crescendos and opium-infused oriental explorations; slow, meandering waltzes give way to moments of ethereal lightness and beauty. This music transcends fads and trends to appeal to anyone drawn to beautiful, supple songcraft.
Apricot Rail – ‘Running With an Egg on a Spoon’
Markus Mehr's "Off" Officially Released
Hidden Shoal Recordings is proud to announce digital and cd availability of the new album Off by German experimental ambient artist Markus Mehr. Off is the third and final part of a trilogy that includes the critically acclaimed releases In and On. The album is available from the Hidden Shoal Store in digital format (MP3 & FLAC) and as a special limited edition CD release. The CD release is limited to an edition of 50 units.
Off is not only the culmination of Markus Mehr’s trilogy, but it may also be the culmination of his career’s work thus far. The single-track album begins in silence, as a thrumming loop gradually emerges. From there, a beautiful piano refrain is introduced, noise ebbs and flows, threatening to engulf the piece, while field recordings and swooningly transportive synth patterns drift into focus. During its 42-minute runtime, the piece immerses the listener in a dizzyingly beautiful soundworld that’s ever-shifting. Certain passages allude to other sequences and samples in the preceding albums, linking the three albums into a kaleidoscopic mobius strip.
” It feels like emerging from a tunnel only to find that I am driving into the path of a tornado. As it builds up into a storm of guitar feedback and reverb, I have forgotten about where the piece has begun, entranced instead by a tonal shift into some kind of hellish union of choir voices and endless noise… Markus Mehr has crafted a sharply clever piece of music. It a evokes a presence that is rarely found; a balance between the ugly and the pretty where both can exist at once. I continue to be impressed by what Mehr is capable of.” – Brainwashed reviewing Off
“… The single, 42 minute long form piece mixes new samples and loops with numerous textures reconizable from the preceding releases, all woven together in a concoction that is by turns dazzlingly bright, hauntingly deep and wholly engaging…There is a mind boggling breadth of ideas and moments captured in the piece, and yet no thought or melodic impulse receives less than full consideration. Indeed, it is this deep attention to detail which amazed me on my first listen to In, and which now bears full fruit in Off.” – Petal Music reviewing Off
Off is available now in digital and limited edition CD formats through the Hidden Shoal Store.The limited edition CD release of the album features custom packaging and is limited to 50 units only. Due to a printing issue outside of our control, CD orders will not ship until the 11th of Feb. Our apologies and thanks for your patience. Head to the Hidden Shoal Store for all details.
Markus Mehr – “Off” (Excerpt)
New Apricot Rail Music Video
Check this beautiful new music video for the Apricot Rail track ‘Surry Hills’. The song is lifted from Apricot Rail‘s forthcoming sophomore album Quarrels. The music video comes to us via the wonderful Chad Peacock and was edited from footage taken from his currently in production documentary concerning communities in Cambodia and features work by Australian artist Kyle Hughes Odgers. Be sure to check out Chad’s other projects here.
Quarrels will see release on the 25th of February 2013 with CD pre-orders available on the 11th of February. The album launch takes place at the Rosemount in Perth on 23 February. While you wait you can grab Apricot Rail’s new single ‘Basket Press’ as well as ‘Surry Hills’ for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store.
Markus Mehr's "Off" – Digital and CD Pre-orders Now Available
Hidden Shoal Recordings is proud to announce digital and cd pre-order availability for the new album Off by German experimental ambient artist Markus Mehr. Off is the third and final part of a trilogy that includes the critically acclaimed releases In and On. The album is available from the Hidden Shoal Store in digital format (MP3 & FLAC) and pre-orders are available for the special limited edition CD release. The CD release is limited to an edition of 50 units.
Off is not only the culmination of Markus Mehr’s trilogy, but it may also be the culmination of his career’s work thus far. The single-track album begins in silence, as a thrumming loop gradually emerges. From there, a beautiful piano refrain is introduced, noise ebbs and flows, threatening to engulf the piece, while field recordings and swooningly transportive synth patterns drift into focus. During its 42-minute runtime, the piece immerses the listener in a dizzyingly beautiful soundworld that’s ever-shifting. Certain passages allude to other sequences and samples in the preceding albums, linking the three albums into a kaleidoscopic mobius strip.
” It feels like emerging from a tunnel only to find that I am driving into the path of a tornado. As it builds up into a storm of guitar feedback and reverb, I have forgotten about where the piece has begun, entranced instead by a tonal shift into some kind of hellish union of choir voices and endless noise… Markus Mehr has crafted a sharply clever piece of music. It a evokes a presence that is rarely found; a balance between the ugly and the pretty where both can exist at once. I continue to be impressed by what Mehr is capable of.” – Brainwashed reviewing Off
“… prepare for a shuddering, near chaotic, kaleidoscopic experience as Mehr challenges our and his own preconceptions of what “electronica” is, what it represents and of what his instrumentation can achieve.” – Delusions of Adequacy reviewing On
“It is a process of constant repetition and tension building with each tiny fragment or loop coming in to focus, one by one, little by little, to end up as an emphatically crushing work of art… It is minimalism that gives birth to the epic, intelligent music that takes over its listeners and engages them to its very dying moments.” – The Silent Ballet reviewing In
Off is available now in digital formats (MP3 & Flac) through the Hidden Shoal Store. Pre-orders are also available for the limited edition CD release of the album which features custom packaging and is limited to 50 units only. Head to the Hidden Shoal Store for all details.
Markus Mehr – “Off” (Excerpt)
New Tarcutta Music Video!
Check out this beautiful new music video for the Tarcutta track “Evan And Luna Take On The Coca-Cola Teen Queens’ Conspiracy And Kick Its Arse”. The track comes from Tarcutta’s stunning 2009 self-titled album. Head to the Hidden Shoal Store to grab a copy.
Apricot Rail "Quarrels" Album Teaser
Following on from the release of Apricot Rail’s beautiful new freely downloadable single ‘Basket Press’, Hidden Shoal are very excited to be able to present an album trailer/teaser for the band’s forthcoming sophomore album Quarrels. Quarrels is set to drop on 25 February 2013 with the Perth album launch taking place on 23 February at the Rosemount.
The trailer is available on YouTube and SoundCloud for your delectation.
New Apricot Rail Single – Free Download!
Hidden Shoal Recordings is proud to announce the release of the new single ‘Basket Press’ by Perth-based multi-instrumental ambient rock sextet Apricot Rail, taken from their forthcoming sophomore album Quarrels.
‘Basket Press’ opens Apricot Rail’s long-awaited sophomore album Quarrels in fine style. Led by the band’s unmistakably chiming guitars and overlaid with gorgeous woodwinds, the song’s melodic weave soon builds into a triumphant final chapter. The track is a wonderful introduction to Quarrels’ glowing slow burn with its multi-part song structures and beautiful unfurling melodies.
After the success of their debut album, ideas for new Apricot Rail songs, including recent single ‘Surry Hills’, were formulated during the band’s extended break late in 2009, after which the songs were road-tested live. The new songs that make up Quarrels maintain a minimalist, restrained and rustic feel typical of Apricot Rail’s debut album, while incorporating a wider palette of instruments and a more expansive feel.
The track is available now as a free download through Hidden Shoal. Quarrels is set to drop on 25 February 2013 with the Perth album launch taking place on 23 February at the Rosemount.
Sneak Preview of Markus Mehr's Forthcoming New Album
We’re incredibly excited to be able to share a sneak preview of Markus Mehr‘s forthcoming full length album Off. The album is the third and final part of a trilogy that includes the critically acclaimed releases In and On. The album will be available from the 24th of January, 2013. To whet your appetite we have a streaming excerpt from the album on SoundCloud (also embedded below) and Youtube.
Off is not only the culmination of Markus Mehr’s trilogy, but it may also be the culmination of his career’s work thus far. The single-track album begins in silence, as a thrumming loop gradually emerges. From there, a beautiful piano refrain is introduced, noise ebbs and flows, threatening to engulf the piece, while field recordings and swooningly transportive synth patterns drift into focus. During its 42-minute runtime, the piece immerses the listener in a dizzyingly beautiful soundworld that’s ever-shifting. Certain passages allude to other sequences and samples in the preceding albums, linking the three albums into a kaleidoscopic mobius strip.
Markus Mehr – Off (Excerpt)
Gilded and Markus Mehr in Fuild Radio's Top 10 of 2012
It’s that time of year when certain folks are making a list and checking it twice (let me have that one). The writers over at Fluid Radio are publishing some very fine end of year lists, with Gilded’s Terrane making John Boursnell’s Top Ten and Markus Mehr’s In making Charles Sage Top Ten. Congrats to Markus, Matt and Adam and much thanks to Fluid Radio for all their support of new innovative music.
Gilded – Terrane Album Teaser
Markus Mehr – IN Album Teaser
Hidden Shoal MixTape
