Hidden Shoal News
Umpire "Now We're Active" Review Roundup
Umpire’s epic debut album Now We’re Active has quite appropriately been garnering some wonderful reviews and press since its Australian release a few weeks back. Check out what folks had to say at these fine blogs and zines – Delusions of Adequacy, Twiceremoved, ReviewedMusic, The Underground of Happiness, The Vine, Rave Magazine, Der Digital Flaneur and theres plenty more on the way. Not to mention the Australian radio love the album has been getting across community stations and JJJ.
The album will see its international release in just a few short weeks as July 14th approaches. Eager internationals can pre-order the CD via our US distributor n5mailorder now which includes a free mp3 download of the album. Australian fans can hit up their favourite record store for the CD or the Hidden Shoal Store for CD and digital love.
Umpire's 'Now We're Active' at Melbourne's Indie Record Stores
Umpire’s fantastic debut album Now We’re Active is now, er, ‘active’ at three of Melbourne’s finest independent records stores: Polyester Records in Fitzroy, Missing Link in the City, and Greville Records in Prahran. So, if you like your music to come with a jewel case, a super cover to look at, plus a booklet with liner notes and full lyrics, you know where to go. Head on down, grab a copy, have a chat with the smashing staff, and support your local independent record store!
(If you like your music without a jewel case and downloadable, just head to the HSR Store.)
2010, 2011 and Beyond
As part of our 5th birthday celebrations, we’ve been looking back at the history of Hidden Shoal, casting some light on artists and releases that may have been overlooked. This week is the final post, bringing us bang up to date. For one week, a selection of releases covered below will be available from the Hidden Shoal Store with a 20% discount. Flavoursome!
Back at the start of 2010 we released volume 5 in our free download compilation album series, Crushed and Reminded, rounding up a selection of tracks from HSR releases in 2009. Over the course of 2010 and the first half of 2011, new releases by My Majestic Star, Stray Ghost, Iretsu, Rich Bennett, Slow Dancing Society, Jumpel, Hotels and Toby Richardson were joined by Hidden Shoal newcomers Boxharp (Scott Solter and Wendy Allen), Markus Mehr, Salli Lunn, Liam Singer, Antonymes and Umpire. And in May 2011, Hotels got through the final of the Billboard Battle of the Bands!
Hydrozoa, volume 6 in our free download series, has recently been released to celebrate our 5th birthday. And we’re only halfway through 2011 – the second half of the year promises new albums from Wes Willenbring, a Salli Lunn remix album, a City of Satellites remix album plus some exciting new signings. Stay tuned!
HSR062: Various artists Crushed and Reminded
HSR063: My Majestic Star I Haven’t Got It In Me
HSR064: Boxharp Loam Arcane EP
HSR065: Stray Ghost Nothing, But Death
HSR067: Boxharp The Green
HSR068: Iretsu Fang
HSR069: Markus Mehr Lava
HSR070: Salli Lunn Heresy and Rite
HSR071: Rich Bennett On Holiday
HSR072: Slow Dancing Society Under The Sodium Lights
HSR073: Liam Singer Dislocatia
HSR074: Jumpel Europa
HSR075: Toby Richardson The Stones and the Rabbits EP
HSR077: Hotels On The Casino Floor
HSR079: Various artists Hydrozoa
HSR080: Antonymes The Licence to Interpret Dreams
HSR081: Umpire Now We’re Active
Umpire on DOA and Breakthru Radio
Umpire’s superb debut album Now We’re Active has just received an excellent review on music site DOA. Visit DOA to read the review in full, or visit Umpire’s reviews archive to read an excerpt. Plus, five (count ’em) tracks from the album received airplay on BreakThru Radio this weekend. Visit BreakThru Radio to restream the show, which also features Australian artists Gotye, PVT and Midnight Juggernauts.
Now We’re Active was launched in Perth last weekend and is currently available on CD in Australia, and digitally around the world. The album receives its international CD release on 14 July.
Antonymes Reviewed on The Silent Ballet and Phantom Channel
The Licence to Interpret Dreams by Antonymes has just received wonderful reviews at instrumental music site The Silent Ballet and music blog Phantom Channel. Visit the sites to read the reviews in full, or visit Antonymes’ reviews archive for lovingly edited excerpts from these and other reviews. The Licence to Interpret Dreams is available from the HSR Store.
The Underground of Happiness Helps Celebrate Our 5th Birthday!
Ever-wonderful blog The Underground of Happiness, home to the musings of Conor, the presenter of the Cork radio show of the same name, has recently featured an article about our 5th birthday celebrations. Conor chats about some of his favourite HSR releases, provides links to recent interviews with Antonymes and Hotels from his show, and generally says nice things about us. Thanks Conor! We love you too!
2009: A Million Square Miles
As part of our 5th birthday celebrations, we’ll be looking back at the history of Hidden Shoal, year by year, casting some light on artists and releases that may have been overlooked. For one week, all releases covered below will be available from the Hidden Shoal Store with a 30% discount. Flavoursome!
In 2009, Hidden Shoal continued to release stunning music from around the world, including debut Hidden Shoal albums from Hotels, HC-B, Tarcutta, Sleeping Me, City Of Satellites and Elisa Luu, sophomore albums from Jumpel and Wes Willenbring, a third album from Sankt Otten, and EPs from Stray Ghost and Down Review (a new collaboration between Arc Lab’s Medard Fischer and Near The Parenthesis’ Tim Arndt).
2009 was also notable for the release of our compilation album A Million Square Miles, a project endeavouring to showcase Western Australian talent to the US (the titular million square miles). After more than three years of sharing independent music far and wide, A Million Square Miles represented a key facet of the Hidden Shoal Recordings story. The album brings together a pair of tracks from each of the then eight WA-based artists on the Hidden Shoal roster: Mukaizake, Apricot Rail, Fall Electric, Glassacre, Toby Richardson, My Majestic Star, The Slow Beings and Tangled Star.
2009 also saw Hidden Shoal join forces with The Caribbean and Scott Solter in a single EP. This not only began a special relationship with the wonderful The Caribbean and created an ongoing avenue for them to release some of their more experimental offerings, but it also began the label’s relationship with Scott Solter, which eventually led us to Boxharp (Scott Solter and Wendy Allen).
HSR046: Jumpel Deuxieme Bureau
HSR047: Hotels Where Hearts Go Broke
HSR048: HC-B Soundcheck For A Missing Movie
HSR049: The Caribbean Scott Solter Re-Populates The Caribbean EP
HSR050: Sleeping Me Cradlesongs
HSR051: Tarcutta Tarcutta
HSR052: Tangled Star That Time EP
HSR053: Apricot Rail Apricot Rail
HSR054: Down Review From Here, For Anyone EP
HSR055: Sankt Otten Morgen Wieder Lustig
HSR056: Elisa Luu Chromatic Sigh
HSR057: Various artists A Million Square Miles
HSR058: Wes Willenbring Close, But Not Too Close
HSR059: Stray Ghost Each Paradise Is A Lost Paradise EP
HSR060: Mukaizake Unknown Knowns
HSR061: City Of Satellites Machine Is My Animal
Umpire's "Now We're Active" Australian Release
Hidden Shoal Recordings is proud to announce the Australian release of debut album Now We’re Active by Perth’s widescreen indie-rock craftsmen Umpire ahead of its international release on July 14th.
On Now We’re Active, Umpire combine sprawling indie-rock sounds with reflective melancholy, expertly wielding massive sun-drenched melodies, serpentine guitar parts and soaring vocals to spectacular effect. From lead single ‘Green Light District’ through the chiming guitar surge of ‘The Canyon’ to gorgeous finale ‘Cyclones Into Sunshowers’, Now We’re Active is a stunning release, as expansive as it is propulsive, as heartbreaking as it is life-affirming.
Immaculately produced by bassist Simon Struthers at Forensic Audio, the album’s ten tracks bring progressive rock influences, indie-pop sensibilities and shades of math-rock into explosive collision, then shape them into songs that are at once epic and intimate. After the last song fades you’re left with a lump in your throat and admiration of how Umpire’s songcraft and sonics are so consistently elegant, melodic and widescreen. Now We’re Active is much more than a collection of tracks – it’s an album that blossoms beautifully on repeat plays.
“Once again we’re blessed with another amazing band brought to us by Hidden Shoal Recordings… the single is upbeat and poppy with a chorus that wails, featuring a guitar line mid-way through the song that would make Sonic Youth bow their heads. If this track is in any way a sign of things to come, then rest assured that when the album hits, it’ll leave fans mesmerized.” – DOA on ‘Green Light District’
Availability
Now We’re Active is available now on CD in Australia and digitally everywhere. The album sees its international CD release on 14 July. Head to the Hidden Shoal Store for all availability details. The Australian album launch will take place in Perth at the Rosemount on 4 June. Umpire will be touring Australia during July and August. Read a full press release here and be sure to check out the fantastic music video for single ‘Green Light District’.
Umpire Album Launch This Saturday Night!
For anyone lucky enough to be in Perth this Saturday night, head on down to the Rosemount Hotel in North Perth for the launch of Umpire’s stupendous debut album Now We’re Active, which is now streaming in its entirety on Bandcamp. Tomorrow sees the Australian CD release and international digital release, with the international CD release to follow on 14 July. Visit the HSR Store to snap up some of the action.
In further Umpire news, Now We’re Active is feature album all this week on the Breakfast with Barr show on RTRfm. Tune in all this week to hear songs from the album, plus on Friday the band will be in the studio for a chat.
And finally, Umpire’s official website is now up and running, so pop along there to immerse yourself in all things Umpire. It’s a beautiful thing.
Umpire "Now We're Active" – Final Track!
Day 10 and finally we arrive at the end of Umpire‘s brilliant and imminent full length Now We’re Active. I could squander words describing track 10 but it’s title sums it up better than I ever could. Without further ado we introduce to you the absolutely stunning album closer, ‘Cyclones Into Sunshowers’.
You can follow the link below to grab the track and embed it on your Facebook page, website, wherever. Even better the album is out tomorrow (June 2) on CD in Australia and digitally everywhere!
Hidden Shoal MixTape
