It’s a total win-win so head to the Hidden Shoal Store and check the specials on the front page. The sale ends on the 1st of Jan 2012 and some CD stock is very limited so do be quick.

And of course our US and international fans should continue to head to our wonderful distributor n5mailorder for Hidden Shoal CD titles.

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

Featuring Antonymes, Boxharp, City of Satellites, Elisa Luu, Hotels, Iretsu, Jumpel, Liam Singer, Markus Mehr, Mukaizake, My Majestic Star, Rich Bennett, Salli Lunn, Slow Dancing Society, Stray Ghost, Toby Richardson, Umpire and Wes Willenbring, Hydrozoa touches all the bases that make the Hidden Shoal roster unique, and massages them into a broad-ranging and utterly engaging whole. The release accompanied by a pdf booklet containing stunning artwork by Hidden Shoal’s Stuart Medley.

Download the sampler here.

Since starting up in Perth, Western Australia in 2006, Hidden Shoal has developed an enviable roster of genre-defying global and local recording artists. With 40+ acts from 10+ different countries ranging from the gorgeous neo-classical/minimal ambient of Antonymes through to the genius space-pop of Hotels and beyond the visionary team at Hidden Shoal continues to play an integral role in promoting exciting new independent music.

“For the first time, LIMV present a pop-up local music shop to promote Perth’s hardworking independent labels. Come by 54 Lake Street (opposite the Elephant & Wheelbarrow) browse through a great range of CDs, records, vinyl, t-shirts, merchandise and related products. Stock is sourced from a thriving community of local labels, including Meupe, Hidden Shoal, Walking Horse Records, Badminton Bandit, Owls, Heartless Robot and Jarrah Records. The goods of the independent Perth bands and musicians are also represented. For local music lovers this will be the place to score hard-to-find wares and new special edition merchandise. For those newbies it’s the perfect introduction to a wealth of WA music.”

Hidden Shoal has also provided some freebies as if there wasn’t already enough incentive to wrap yourself in the splendour that is Perth music. Perth peeps should get their collective asses down to the store at 54 Lake St from Wednesday 19 May to Sunday 23 May between 11am and 9pm. Besides the store LIMV have also set up the Takeaway Tunes Temporary Recording Studio where a bunch of amazing Perth bands and artists will record tracks that will be uploaded to the LIMV site for free download. You can even stare the band out as they try to concentrate during the sessions (staring contests not endorsed bu Hidden Shoal)! Check times and details here.

Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner

Mukaizake – Slack Bees  Mukaizake – Slack Bees

Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker

Mukiazake – Yeah Conditioner  Mukaizake – Yeah Conditioner 

Mukaizake – ‘The Yeah Conditioner’  Mukaizake – ‘The Yeah Conditioner’

Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker

HC-B – Black  HC-B – Black

If you have not yet been swayed by this bands magic then you have two chances to redeem yourselves. First is to go to the HSR Store and stream (then buy!) their latest mini album Unknown Knowns and the the second (for Perth folk only) is to head to their headline gig this Saturday night (Jan 16th) – details here. The band rarely plays live nowadays due to their bi-coastalness (yes its a word….sorta) so this is not to be missed.

Mukaizake – Slack Bees  Mukaizake – Slack Bees

From the fuzzy, angular propulsion of the single ‘The Yeah Conditioner’ to the stunningly wistful complexities of ‘My Friend Flicker’, Unknown Knowns is serpentine indie-rock at its finest, weaving hook after hook around your chest until you’re suspended from the clouds, a grin plastered across your face, unable to even think about listening to anything else. The mini-album has been thrilling both fans and critics alike since its release and continues to receive a raft of glowing reviews, including a number of ‘albums of the week’ as well as landing on several best of 2009 lists both in Australia and internationally. Along with excellent indie radio support here in Australia (including JJJ rotations) the album has also been receiving strong airplay across the US college radio circuit as well as some key European stations.

Mukaizake will be supported by the mighty talents of Schvendes, The Ghost Hotel and 6’s and 7’s. Doors open at 8pm and entry is $10.

Unknown Knowns is now available on CD at all good music stores, as well online at stores such as iTunes, eMusic, Amazon and the Hidden Shoal Store.

Mukaizake – Rule Norse  Mukaizake – Rule Norse

You can check the latest edition of Rave here (PDF download).

Mukaizake – Frisbee  Mukaizake – Frisbee

You can also check out and embed the video at Youtube and Vimeo. Be sure to check out HSR TV which features music videos from a whole bunch of our artists as well as a few interviews and other tidbits.

Mukaizake’s Unknown Knowns  is available on CD as well as digitally. Check the HSR Store for all availability info.

Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner  Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner

After more than three years of sharing excellent independent music far and wide, A Million Square Miles represents a key facet of the Hidden Shoal Recordings story, and is a beacon for the future of Western Australian music. Bringing together a pair of stunning tracks from each of eight WA-based artists on the Hidden Shoal roster, this sampler album is an essential listen whichever way you slice it.

There’s the serpentine indie-rock of Mukaizake and the crystalline instrumental pop of Apricot Rail; the raw intensity of Fall Electric and the shimmering dreampop of Glassacre; the hook-laden squall of Toby Richardson and the lush and subtle songcraft of My Majestic Star; the skewed melodicism of The Slow Beings and the wistful alt-country complexities of Tangled Star. A Million Square Miles isn’t just great Western Australian music – it’s great music, period. The album also includes the first tastes of upcoming releases by Mukaizake, My Majestic Star and Toby Richardson.

“This is the rare exhibition of musical aptitude that delights from start to finish, with nary a disappointment to be found … There’s no way to know for sure if Perth, Australia is indie rock’s next Seattle or Montreal, but Hidden Shoals’ impressive roster on A Million Square Miles is bound to shore up some buzz, and deservedly so:  it’s an exhilarating listen from beginning to end.” – DOA

A Million Square Miles is now available on CD in Australia. The album is distributed in Australia through Hidden Shoal Distribution and internationally via n5Mailorder. A Million Square Miles is also available digitally through the Hidden Shoal Store and all good third-party digital music stores (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, LaLa, Bandcamp, etc.). Head to the Hidden Shoal Store for all availability info.

Hidden Shoal has also made the album available as a free, embeddable streaming radio widget and Facebook Application. For more info check out the album’s project page.

Read a full press release here.

Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner

The cliché ‘all killer, no filler’ is often bandied around with very little to back it up. In the case of Mukaizake’s stunning new release Unknown Knowns, the cliché applies: this six-song, half-hour mini-album is sheer perfection. Unknown Knowns kicks off with the fuzzy propulsion of single ‘The Yeah Conditioner’, immediately launching the listener into Mukaizake’s compelling corner of the musical universe. This is serpentine indie-rock at its finest, weaving hook after hook around your chest until you’re suspended from the clouds, a grin plastered across your face, unable to even think about listening to anything else.

‘Rule Norse’ ups the ante with a thunderously rollicking first half that follows with gorgeous layered backing vocals and hovering guitars in the exultant, expansive second half. ‘Corporal Steam’ winds the album down a notch with its chiming circular guitar harmonics and Geoff Symons’ plaintive vocals before ‘Frisbee’ launches the listener off the edge of a cliff attached to an electric boomerang of riffs and angular melodies. Then, the stunningly wistful ‘My Friend Flicker’ and the dreamy lament of ‘Slack Bees’ bring the listener down in a pool of dazzling songmanship.

“Part math-rock, part jangly dream-pop, the six songs are a beguiling dive into the oceanic sounds of 90’s indie rock. Vocalists Geoff Symons and Erickson can both actually sing with clarity, lending the songs a sort of choirboy purity, even when singing about slashing tyres… The outcome is a pristine and intelligent composite of sounds old and new… It’s a heady combination, and one that hopefully won’t need another five years to reoccur.” - Rave Magazine

Mukaizake comprises Dan Erickson (Bluetile Lounge), Simon Struthers (Umpire, Adam Said Galore), Geoff Symons (Umpire, ex-Adam Said Galore, O!), and Michael Lake (Umpire, ex-Adam Said Galore). Unknown Knowns is the follow up to their critically acclaimed debut album Mapping The Static released in 2003.

Unknown Knowns is now available in CD and digital formats worldwide. Head to the HSR Store for all availability info and to stream the album in full. The album is being launched on December 11th in Perth, Western Australia at the Amplifier Bar.

Read a full press release here.

Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker  Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker

Unknown Knowns is available in digital formats from the Hidden Shoal Store. Tomorrow, Friday 11 December, is the official Australian CD release at Amplifier Bar in Perth. Doors open 8pm, and CDs will be available for purchase.

Muziakaze – The Yeah Conditioner Muzaikaze – The Yeah Conditioner

As well as being on sale at the show, Unknown Knowns is available in CD and mp3 format from the Hidden Shoal Store.

Visit the Hidden Shoal Store to stream tracks and purchase the album in mp3, CD and lossless formats.

Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker

Crushed and Reminded takes the listener on a multi-dimensional sonic rollercoaster ride, showcasing tracks from recent 2009 HSR releases. Moving from bitcrushed remixes through cinematic instrumental rock to deliciously mellow ambient electronica, Crushed and Reminded shines a new light across the breadth and depth of the Hidden Shoal landscape.

It includes stunning songs from 11 Hidden Shoal artists and bands: The Caribbean, HC-B, Sankt Otten, Hotels, Down Review, Tangled Star, Apricot Rail, Tarcutta, Sleeping Me, Elisa Luu and Jumpel. Dip in, then explore each artist’s album and EP releases to experience their full splendour.

“a gripping, adventurous and touching journey across their catalogue of ambient, shoegaze, post-rock and indie-rock releases. The perfect introduction for the artists and bands, or alternatively, the perfect sampler for those who cannot decide which of these fantastic bands to pay attention to at the moment” – Post Rock Community review of Limit of Maps, volume 3 in the free sampler album series.

Crushed and Reminded is available for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store, along with volumes 1 to 4.

The cliché ‘all killer, no filler’ is often bandied around with very little to back it up. In the case of Mukaizake’s stunning new release Unknown Knowns, the cliché applies: this six-song, half-hour mini-album is sheer perfection. Unknown Knowns kicks off with the fuzzy propulsion of single ‘The Yeah Conditioner’, immediately launching the listener into Mukaizake’s compelling corner of the musical universe. This is serpentine indie-rock at its finest, weaving hook after hook around your chest until you’re suspended from the clouds, a grin plastered across your face, unable to even think about listening to anything else.

‘Rule Norse’ ups the ante with a thunderously rollicking first half that follows with gorgeous layered backing vocals and hovering guitars in the exultant, expansive second half. ‘Corporal Steam’ winds the album down a notch with its chiming circular guitar harmonics and Geoff Symons’ plaintive vocals before ‘Frisbee’ launches the listener off the edge of a cliff attached to an electric boomerang of riffs and angular melodies. Then, the stunningly wistful ‘My Friend Flicker’ and the dreamy lament of ‘Slack Bees’ bring the listener down in a pool of dazzling songmanship.

“Mukaizake are a testament to the powers of rock music to find other places to go, to regenerate and make itself over. Had the martians landed in the midst of Mukaizake’s set they would have thought that rock music is a boundless and exhilarating thing. In the right hands, it is” - Hype Magazine

Mukaizake comprises Dan Erickson (Bluetile Lounge), Simon Struthers (Umpire, Adam Said Galore), Geoff Symons (Umpire, ex-Adam Said Galore, O!), and Michael Lake (Umpire, ex-Adam Said Galore). Unknown Knowns is the follow up to their critically acclaimed debut album Mapping The Static released in 2003.

Unknown Knowns is now available digitally worldwide and on CD in the US distributed by n5Mailorder. The album will then see its Australian CD release and launch on December 11th in Perth, Western Australia at the Amplifier Bar. Head to the HSR Store for all availability info and to stream the album in full. You can also read a full press release here.

Mukaizake – Rule Norse  Mukaizake – Rule Norse

After more than three years of sharing excellent independent music far and wide, A Million Square Miles represents a key facet of the Hidden Shoal Recordings story, and is a beacon for the future of Western Australian music. Bringing together a pair of stunning tracks from each of eight WA-based artists on the Hidden Shoal roster, this sampler album is an essential listen whichever way you slice it.

There’s the serpentine indie-rock of Mukaizake and the crystalline instrumental pop of Apricot Rail; the raw intensity of Fall Electric and the shimmering dreampop of Glassacre; the hook-laden squall of Toby Richardson and the lush and subtle songcraft of My Majestic Star; the skewed melodicism of The Slow Beings and the wistful alt-country complexities of Tangled Star. A Million Square Miles isn’t just great Western Australian music – it’s great music, period. The album also includes the first tastes of upcoming releases by Mukaizake, My Majestic Star and Toby Richardson.

“Hidden Shoal Recordings is on a mission. The Australian label is busy enhancing minds, widening musical consciousness, opening ears, and taking us beyond the sometimes all too comfortably familiar” – Blogcritics

“Finding Hidden Shoal Recordings could rightly claim to be in the top 10 best things that ever happened to me, such is the quality and diversity of their roster” – Boring Machine Disturbs Sleep

A Million Square Miles is now available digitally through the Hidden Shoal Store and all good third-party digital music stores (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, LaLa etc). The album is also available on CD in the US through n5Mailorder (retail and distribution). The album will see it’s Australian release on December 15th, 2009.

Hidden Shoal has also made the album available as a free, embeddable streaming radio widget and Facebook Application. For more info check out the album’s project page.

Read a full press release here.

Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker  Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker

HSL comprises the constantly growing catalogue of over 600 tracks from the critically acclaimed Hidden Shoal Recordings music label. This wonderful selection of music covers a broad spectrum of sounds and styles, from filmic ambient instrumentals through to inventive indie rock and beyond. HSL provides a unique one-stop licensing source, handling both the master and sync rights.

If you’d like to be kept up to date with all HSL news, please join our mailing list or keep an eye on the pre-launch HSL website.

‘The Yeah Conditioner’ is available for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store up until the Australian CD release of Unknown Knowns on December 11th, 2009. The album will see its US CD and worldwide digital release on November 17th.

Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner

Head to the HSR Store to download ‘The Yeah Conditioner‘ for free until the release of Mukaizake’s amazing forthcoming mini album Unkown Knowns and also to purchase Elisa Luu’s debut album Chromatic Sigh and find out why that album has been receiving so much critical praise.

Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner  Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner

The opening rush of adrenaline from their forthcoming album Unknown Knowns, ‘The Yeah Conditioner’ is Mukaizake’s triumphant return to the Australian music scene. The track sees the band at their compelling best, combining urgent rhythms, dynamic guitar interplay and Geoff Symons’ strong melodic vocals, twisting and flexing into glowing new shapes. While ‘catchy’ and ‘addictive’ are over-used terms in the world of indie-rock, ‘The Yeah Conditioner’ reveals thrilling new facets with each spin.

Mukaizake comprises Dan Erickson (Bluetile Lounge), Simon Struthers (Umpire, Adam Said Galore), Geoff Symons (Umpire, ex-Adam Said Galore, O!), and Michael Lake (Umpire, ex-Adam Said Galore). They released their critically acclaimed debut album Mapping The Static in 2003 and have supported artists such as Mercury Rev, Death Cab For Cutie, Will Oldham, Dave Pajo (Papa M, Slint), Something For Kate, The Sleepy Jackson and Big Heavy Stuff, to name a few.

‘The Yeah Conditioner’ is available for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store up until the Australian CD release of Unknown Knowns on December 11th, 2009. The album will see its US CD and worldwide digital release on November 17th.

Read a full press release here.

Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner  Mukaizake – The Yeah Conditioner

Featuring members of legendary Perth bands Umpire, Adam Said Galore and Blue Tile Lounge, Mukaizake combine intricate, dynamic guitar parts, borrowing heavily from math-inspired indie rock, with highly accessible song structures and strong melodic vocals. Their songs feature organic, reactive playing, with a depth and subtlety that is revealed on repeat listens. After a lengthy absence from the Australian music scene, Mukaizake are set to release Unknown Knowns, the stunning follow up to their highly acclaimed 2003 album Mapping the Static.

Unknown Knowns will see its official Australia release on December 11th, 2009 preceded by its US and worldwide digital release on November 17th. The first single to be taken from the album, ‘The Yeah Conditioner’, will be released on October 6th.

Read a full press release here.