Hidden Shoal News
Slow Dancing Society Charting at CJSW
Slow Dancing Society’s latest opus Under The Sodium Lights has come in at number 6 on the CJSW Experimental Chart. The stunning fourth album by the US ambient artist has been put into rotation at a number of US college stations so expect some more charting news soon!
Head to the Hidden Shoal Store to preview the album in full and find all availability info.
Slow Dancing Society – under the sodium lights Slow Dancing Society – under the sodium lights
New Hotels Single 'The Bat Watusi' – Free Download!
Seattle-based sci-fi pop band Hotels are back with a new single. ‘The Bat Watusi‘ is a pace-quickening taster of the delights in store on Hotels’ new album, On The Casino Floor. The noir-punk track is Hotels at their most lithe and propulsive, with an insistent rhythm section, sci-fi synths and unashamedly rocking guitars. The song repeatedly strips itself back to a muscular yet dreamy core, only to build into a tight celestial rock frenzy.
On The Casino Floor sees Hotels take their addictive and singular meld of post-punk, shoegaze rock and cinematic pop and launch it into outer space. The band has managed to leap headlong beyond the consummate songcraft of acclaimed sophomore album Where Hearts Go Broke into the creation of a wildly inventive and immersive song-suite. The concept album’s seven masterful cuts tell the story of a secret agent, his former mentor and current arch-nemesis, and a nefarious prince’s plan to destroy Earth during the grand opening of the universe’s only outer space casino complex…
“Hotels fuse elements of new wave, goth, and surf so seamlessly that genre tags will be the last thing on your mind when you hear their bittersweet, atmospheric pop songs” – Time Out New York
“With angular guitars, sober vocals, omnipresent synths, and a taste for the cinematic, Hotels come off like the ultimate ’80s soundtrack band, something akin to a cross between the dreamy haze of M83 and the angsty garage rock of The Strokes” – PopMatters
‘The Bat Watusi’ is available for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store until the release of On The Casino Floor on 23 February 2011. The spectacular album launch takes place in Seattle on 26 February 2011, with top-secret details revealed closer to the release date. Read a full press release here and check out more info at Hotels’ website.
Hotels – The Bat Watusi Hotels – The Bat Watusi
Jumpel's "Europa" Radio Features and Charting
Wow – 2011?!?! How did we get here? First post of the year so much happy 2011’s to you all from all of us here. Now onto the music. Jumpel‘s stunning new album Europa is receiving radio love left, right and center. The album is this weeks Out To Lunch Feature Album at Perth’s ever wonderful RTRFM radio station. The album will be featured through the week and Perth folks can win themselves a copy of the cd every day on the Out To Lunch program. Europa is also currently being featured on the excellent Echoes radio program (syndicated across the USA and beyond) and receiving lots of rotations there. Just to add to that the album has just charted at Brisbane’s brilliant 4ZZZ. As many of you will already know Brisbane and a number of other Queensland cities and towns have been devastated by floods so not only do your thoughts go out to all those affected but we also urge you to think about donating to the flood fund.
Jumpel – Wien Jumpel – Wien
Hidden Shoal Feature and Interview at Igloo Magazine
Head over to the ever excellent Igloo Magazine for a wonderful Hidden Shoal Recordings feature and interview. I can only assume those with taste and love of electronic music in all its forms are already readers, but if not then explore and enjoy the great coverage and writing. Check out the feature here.
Toby Richardson's New EP Featured on New York's BreakThru Radio
Toby Richardson’s latest installment of irreverent rock goodness The Stones and the Rabbits has been featured on New York’s awesome BreakThru Radio. The EP was played in full on the excellent TransPacific show which features all the best music coming out of Australia. Re-stream the show in full here.
Toby Richardson – Young Sweet Lovers Toby Richardson – Young Sweet Lovers
Liam Singer and Markus Mehr in Textura's Best of 2010
More Hidden Shoal releases are making the best of lists once again this year. One of very favourite online magazines, the ever wonderful Textura, have published their best of 2010 list and sitting pretty at number 13 is Liam Singer’s masterpiece Dislocatia. Markus Mehr’s amazing debut album Lava also received an honourable mention.
Speaking of Liam Singer, be sure to check out his interview with Conor O’Toole from Irish radio show The Underground of Happiness. You can download an mp3 of the interview here.
Check out both these amazing albums at the Hidden Shoal Store.
Liam Singer – The Brief Encounter Liam Singer – The Brief Encounter
The Caribbean's "Discontinued Perfume" Release Date and Free Single
The wait is over for the first taste of The Caribbean’s sublime upcoming album Discontinued Perfume out on the excellent Hometapes label. The first single from the album ‘Mr. Let’s Find Out’ is available for free download from Hometapes. The album now has an official release date of 22nd February, 2011. Read more about the album at Hometapes including a track listing and some nice bio/interview material.
Enjoy!
The Caribbean – Mr. Let’s Find Out The Caribbean – Mr. Let’s Find Out
Boxharp in Echoes Best of 2010 List
Boxharp‘s undeniably stunning full length The Green has been chosen as one of the years best by the US radio broadcast (its so much more than a show) Echoes. Echoes is regarded as an institution in radio bringing together a wide array of styles, from acoustic to electronic, jazz to space music, avant-garde to rock. The Green took up number 18 on Echoes Top 25 of 2010 keeping company which artists such as Hammock, The Album Leaf, Robert Rich, Jonsi and Manual.
Check out The Green and other Boxharp releases (including free downloads and videos) at the Hidden Shoal Store.
Boxharp – The Moon’s the North Wind’s Cookie Boxharp – The Moon’s the North Wind’s Cookie
Boxharp on KZSU Charts
Boxharp’s New EP by Australian lo-fi rock magician Toby Richardson
Hidden Shoal Recordings today announced the release of new EP The Stones And The Rabbits by Australian lo-fi rock magician Toby Richardson.
In his inimitable bent rock stylings Perth (Western Australia) based Richardson has produced another irreverent indie rock ‘n’ roll gem. ‘Young Sweet Lovers’ kicks off proceedings with all of Toby Richardson’s delicious trademark ingredients: booming drums, fuzzy guitar lines and just-rolled-out-of-bed vocal delivery, married to wonderfully skewed melodicism and Richardson’s innate sense of songcraft. The title track features one of Richardson’s catchiest hooks to date, plus plenty of meandering, harmonised guitar soloing that splits the difference between Dinosaur Jr and an ether-soaked country hoe-down. The track’s disarming lack of pretense plays against Richardson’s affected take on rock as wailing guitars and driving chords quaver and bend in and out of shape. Single ‘King Of All The Moves’ is like a garage band falling endlessly down a cartoon staircase. The track pays homage to dirty rock while turning it inside out and painting it with jelly, creating a soundtrack to some unimaginable ‘70s cop show filled with sequins, half-naked dancers and possibly a dolphin.
“I’m surprised that more people haven’t been talking about Toby Richardson. Take some of the bluesy aspects of Captain Beefheart and mix it with some ’90s college rock sensibilities and you’ve got the Toby Richardson sound. Fuzzed-out lo-fi classic rock is the order of the day, and Toby pulls off this slight ’60s pastiche with panache… By the time you reach the last song, it’s hard not to feel slightly overwhelmed as it is such an exaggerated sound, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t want to simply take a break, and start over again, as its exaggeration is laced with an addictive quality that will have you coming back for more.” – It’s Not The Band I Hate It’s Their Fans on debut album Evergreen
The Stones And The Rabbits is available now through Hidden Shoal Recordings on digital and CD. Head to the Hidden Shoal Store for all availability info. Richardson’s debut EP Golden Days and album Evergreen are also available through Hidden Shoal. Read a full press release here and also grab the single ‘King Of All The Moves’ available for free download.
Toby Richardson – The Stones And The Rabbits Toby Richardson – The Stones And The Rabbits
Hidden Shoal MixTape
