“The fact that Australia’s Hidden Shoal imprint still remains largely unheralded is a detail that vexes us. Time and time again their knack of tripping over the finest dream dipped, neo classicist and pristine pop offerings that sneak from out of the underground scene and beneath the radar has been as breathless as its been consistent, like esteemed labels past and present (to countless and unfair to single out here – but you know who you are) they’ve established such a quality trademark that when anything bearing their testimonial blessing passes our way then we know in an instant it’s going to be a gem. Case in point the excellently named the Star Department – a duo from Dublin whose debuting full length ‘the pea green boat’ is due to dock sometime early summer and from which has been lowered the lilting life boat that is ‘this ship won’t sail’ – admittedly a little crooked and of kilter at times its stuttering and bobbing lolloping motifs adding to the shanty shimmer toned attraction as it emerges sleepy headed from out the haze of a psychedelic prism possessed of a curious out of step artistry that much recalls the criminally undervalued the Crimea while the wheezing antique organ fugues instil a weaving and blissful atmospheric calm that hints of a seesawing sonic axis where sits landshipping at one end and j xaverre t’other.”
