Check out this beautiful music video for the new Jumpel track ‘Flight‘,  the second single taken from Bloc4, the new album from German minimal ambient-electronica maestro Jumpel. The video was hand crafted by the man himself, Joe Durbeck (aka Jumpel), and can be streamed at Youtube or Vimeo. The track can also be downloaded for free from the Hidden Shoal Store ahead of the release of Bloc4 on 11th June.

In contrast to the dreamy ambient-pop elegance of first single ‘Blue Ceiling’, ‘Flight’ literally takes off from the outset with its head-nodding beats and eerie synth pads. Chloe March’s stunning vocal turn evokes the incandescent yet sinister brilliance of Curve’s Toni Halliday on the Leftfield classic ‘Original’. It’s hard to know whether to dance or hide under the covers; either way, this beautiful track will richochet around your skull from the first spin.

Jumpel – ‘Flight’ from Hidden Shoal Recordings on Vimeo.

Two lovely new reviews for the just released Tangled Star single ‘Head in the Sand’. The excellent Australian music blog Sonic Masala and the lovely folks at the Norwegian blog Luna Kafe recently published reviews of the single. Here’s a taste,

” It’s dusty, dreamlike and rustic, loud in the shadows, hushed and sated in the light. Hallsworth’s vocals provides that rich timbre that those excellent 90s bands all possessed also, leaving us with a song that sounds pleasantly nostalgic and unabashedly modern also. ..” – Sonic Masala

“This one’s a little gem, yet again presenting Craig Hallsworth’s skills creating melodic pop-hooks and mild and affectionate power-pop. This is indie pop at its best. Sugar-coated, yet a bit raw. Rich-sounding and many-flavoured, with a surprising piano outtro. A true pop gem…” – Luna Kafe

‘Head in the Sand’ is available for free download here and comes from the forthcoming Tangled Star album Let’s Adjourn to the Garden (18 June 2013).

Hidden Shoal Recordings is proud to announce the release of ‘Plastic Beach’, the new single and music video by Brooklyn-based dream-pop band Monocle taken from their sophomore album Transpacific Sound Paradise.

‘Plastic Beach’ is Transpacific Sound Paradise’s most immediately accessible track, marrying guitar hooks Dick Dale would be proud of, dance or die surf rock beats and the gorgeous vocal stylings of Ana Breton (Dead Leaf Echo). In typical Monocle style the track features subtle dark turns throughout. The song’s wonderful music video, directed by Mark Feinsod, is a playful twist on a trip to the beach, where Rich and Ana flashback to a happier time only to be harassed by a ocean borne garbage monster! The ‘Plastic Beach’ single release comes complete with an awesome remix of ‘Plastic Beach’ by Portland-based Prophetnoise and superb bonus track ‘As I Ride’, a previously unreleased song from the Transpacific Sound Paradise recording sessions.

“Essentially the brainchild of Brooklyn based Rich Bennett whose 2010 mini-album on Hidden Shoal Recordings counts as one of that year’s most understated. Monocle’s debut long player Outer Sunset is a transcendental exercise in ambient dream pop where melody rules supreme. Lead single ‘Chances Glide’ features a vocal contribution from Dead Leaf Echo’s Ana Breton and is frankly, sublime.” – Drowned in Sound on single ‘Chances Glide’

‘Plastic Beach’ and the accompanying bonus tracks are available now as a special download package from the Hidden Shoal Store. The ‘Plastic Beach’ music video is available for streaming on Youtube and Vimeo. Stream ‘Plastic Beach’ and Prophetnoise’s remix on SoundCloud. Transpacific Sound Paradise is also available now in digital and limited edition CD formats from the Hidden Shoal Store.

‘Flight’ by German minimal ambient-electronica maestro Jumpel, is the second single to be taken from his forthcoming fourth album Bloc4 (June 11 2013). In contrast to the dreamy ambient-pop elegance of first single ‘Blue Ceiling’, ‘Flight’ literally takes off from the outset with its head-nodding beats and eerie synth pads. Chloe March’s stunning vocal turn evokes the incandescent yet sinister brilliance of Curve’s Toni Halliday on the Leftfield classic ‘Original’. It’s hard to know whether to dance or hide under the covers; either way, this beautiful track will richochet around your skull from the first spin.

Jumpel’s forthcoming album Bloc4 (June 11 2013) centres around the elevated yet lonely world of a tower block, each track poetically investigating its multi-faceted elements and spaces. The songs were written throughout 2012, with ideas collated, reviewed, developed and remixed. Following the wonderful results of his collaboration with Chloë March on Europa single ‘Edinburgh’, Joe Dürbeck presented the ideas for Bloc4 to March and invited her to select tracks and develop vocal ideas. The results are stunning – and offer a perfect counterbalance to the more melancholic, spacious instrumental pieces.

Download ‘Flight’ for free from the Hidden Shoal Store or stream it on SoundCloud. Bloc4 sees release on the 11th of June 2013.