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.

Rich’s most recent mini-album, Buddy Cop, is available for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store, along with his previous solo releases On Holiday and Music For Underwater Supermarkets, plus his band Monocle’s album Outer Sunset.

2008 saw the release of a fresh new raft of superb albums and EPs, including those by new signings The Slow Beings, Fall Electric and City Of Satellites from Australia, Ghost In The Water and Rich Bennett from the USA, and RL/VL from Ireland. HSR stalwarts Tangled Star, Toby Richardson, My Majestic Star, Iretsu, Slow Dancing Society and Sankt Otten all followed up with some of their most critically acclaimed work. And at the end of the year we released compilation album East–West Section, volume four in our free download series.

As acclaim for our artists spread internationally, we were delighted to hear that prominent New York radio host DJ Mojo dubbed the label “this generation’s 4AD”. As huge fans of the classic label, this was a massive and humbling compliment.

HSR031:   Tangled Star Our Man In Eden Hill EP
HSR032:   Toby Richardson Evergreen
HSR033:   Ghost In The Water Tooth
HSR034:   The Slow Beings We Know Why The Earth Moves
HSR035:   Iretsu Name Our Numbers, Numbers EP
HSR036:   Slow Dancing Society Priest Lake Circa ’88
HSR037:   My Majestic Star Too Late, The Day
HSR038:   Rich Bennett Music For Underwater Supermarkets
HSR039:   Sankt Otten Eine Kleine Traurigkeit
HSR040:   RL/VL Chagrin
HSR041:   Fall Electric Measure And Step
HSR042:   City Of Satellites The Spook EP
HSR043:   Sankt Otten Tiefgang EP
HSR044:   Ghost In The Water Cardinal Red EP
HSR045:   Various artists East–West Section

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.

Rich Bennett – Misty Valley Rich Bennett – Misty Valley

“This is the perfect blend of cheesy lounge flavour cut with a scary ambience that is like a deserted shopping centre in the 1970s where someone left the music running. Underneath all of that NY’s Rich Bennett and co. are a pretty gifted bunch of songwriters as well. People have heard everything from Bacharach to Morricone in this; some of them call it retro-futurist pop, I call it fantastic.” – 4zzz

For fans in Europe aching to catch the magic of Rich Bennett live, the wait is almost over – well, it is if you live in Luxembourg and Belgium.

Dates as follows:

14 April – AutrePart the lounge, Luxembourg

15 April – Le Chab, Brussels BE

16 April - White Cat, Ghent BE with Hidden Shoal’s dream pop maestros Colour Kane!

The ‘Misty Valley’ music video can be streamed on Youtube and Vimeo and the track  is available for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store. On Holiday is available on CD and mp3 format from the Hidden Shoal Store and distributed via n5Mailorder.

Rich Bennett – ‘Misty Valley’

After the deliciously breezy pop of single ‘Misty Valley, ‘Wild Ride’ is where On Holiday’s anxious undertones begin to creep in more forcefully. In a similar vein to Rich Bennett’s fantastic recent release Buddy Cop, ‘Wild Ride’ is constructed from the juiciest synth sounds, coming across like edgy ‘80s electronica. A fat, arpeggiated bassline is layered with aching melodies, over which Bennett’s urgent vocal line is shadowed by Rebecca Pronsky. ‘Wild Ride’ distills Bennett’s mastery of disparate genres into a perfectly brooding synth-pop nugget. The track is accompanied by a wonderfully playful found-footage music video.

The music of supermarkets, elevators and doctor’s offices has been floating around inside Brooklyn resident Rich Bennett’s head since he was born. It’s no wonder that Bennett’s music seems to spring from those delightfully soporific melodies he heard as a child riding in his mom’s shopping cart. Bennett’s debut solo outing Music For Underwater Supermarkets is the glistening fruit of a retreat back to those aisles. On Holiday explores these atmospheres further, creating dark and complex pop music, featuring Bennett’s vocals for the first time. Bennett’s recent mini-album Buddy Cop saw him create a soundtrack to an imaginary film – a retro-futuristic love affair between Ennio Morricone and John Carpenter.

“… an experiment in the emotionally-ached and the musically placid … a sense of risky songwriting elevates On Holiday as a whole … Rich Bennett is trying to do something incredibly ambitious, and maybe to a fault, taking the essentials of lounge, something almost universally joked about, and recording them in a new context and for a new audience.” – Delusions of Adequacy

“This is the perfect blend of cheesy lounge flavour cut with a scary ambience that is like a deserted shopping centre in the 1970s where someone left the music running. Underneath all of that NY’s Rich Bennett and co. are a pretty gifted bunch of songwriters as well. People have heard everything from Bacharach to Morricone in this; some of them call it retro-futurist pop, I call it fantastic.” – 4zzz

Availability

‘Wild Ride’ is available for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store for a limited time and the accompanying music video can be streamed on Youtube. On Holiday is available on CD and mp3 format from the Hidden Shoal Store and distributed via n5Mailorder.

Rich Bennett – Goodbye To Love Rich Bennett – Goodbye To Love

Dan Lyman (Rich Bennett, star of Badge of Fury and Miami Lockdown) is a classy, refined cop from uptown. When the Deckard Crime Syndicate steals a mysterious mineral, Lyman teams up with streetwise colleague Timothy Sanna (Rich Bennett). Together, travel to the Andromeda Galaxy before syndicate boss Xavier Graffin (Greg Hoy) can turn the minerals into a gateway to a mainframe computer game, from where he can rule all communications of the universe. When Marilyn Miranda (Pam Yawbus) comes into the picture, the question of who is an enemy and who is a friend threatens to unravel the whole mission …

Discover how the whole slippery can of worms unravels by downloading the album and checking out the Buddy Cop trailer on YouTube. The download includes a code for 50% off Rich’s other releases, including the much-praised Music for Underwater Supermarkets and this year’s gorgeous album On Holiday .

Rich Bennett – Chase Scene Rich Bennett – Chase Scene

“…what we have here is much darker in tone bearing more resemblance to an amalgam of left of centre troubadours like Baltimore’s The Agrarians and the Mamas and the Papas.  The screwed up uncomfortableness of ‘Wild Ride’ is a good example of this… A dramatic, in the theatrical sense, right turn takes place with ‘The Peak’ taking us off in to a lo-fi journey into ambient electronica before ‘Night Pt1′ and ‘Night Pt2′ heads off into the arena of a soundtrack to a really cool sixties European movie… Much of the pleasure derived from it comes from the vocal interplay between the downbeat Mr Bennett and the civilised Rebecca Pronsky, but the lasting value comes from the almost wilful obscurity of it all. I can’t supply scientific proof but, trust me, it just works.” – Bluesbunny

On Holiday is available digitally from all good online stores and on CD, distributed through n5Mailorder. Check the Hidden Shoal Store for all availability info and to stream the album in full. You can also grab the free download of the single ‘Misty Valley’ from the Hidden Shoal Store.

Read a full press release here.

Rich Bennett – Night Part 2 Rich Bennett – Night Part 2

Rich Bennett – Wild Ride Rich Bennett – Wild Ride

Influenced by the classic exotica of Martin Denny, the aching folk-pop of Fleet Foxes, and the conceptual sweep of The Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle, On Holiday is, on the surface, ‘a day in the life of a vacation’. Brimming with delicious breezy melodies and the buoyant vocals of both Bennett and Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Rebecca Pronsky, the optimistic side of the album is typified by gorgeous single ‘Misty Valley’ and the expansive, home-on-the-range vibe of ‘Back Around’. The luscious contours of these songs are immediately inviting, but follow their flowing lines and there’s no resolution – just an anxious question mark.

The other side of the album, lurking like a shadow, is the knowledge that you’re in the middle of a fantasy and it’s only fleeting, soon to return to normal life. This nagging feeling of emptiness runs throughout, whether it’s the reflective whistling and watery phased melodies of ‘EPO’, the gloriously disorientating multi-tracked saxophone solo on ‘Night Part 1’, or the delicious minor key ‘Night Part 2’. Closing track ‘Green Memories’ casts doubt on whether the holiday was even real, its strings and woodwinds mustering a sense of intoxicating, queasy melancholy.

“brings together the sophisticated pop soundtracks of Burt Bacharach and Ennio Morricone with the electronic detail of Stereolab and Delia Derbyshire…. If you’re a fan of retro-futurist pop such as the High Llamas then this will be up your aisle” – Proper Songs on Music for Underwater Supermarkets

On Holiday is available now in all digital formats including lossless and will see its official CD release on 29th of July 2010. Check the Hidden Shoal Store for all availability info including CD pre-orders. Read a full press release here.

Rich Bennett – Night Part 2 Rich Bennett – Night Part 2

‘Misty Valley’ kicks off On Holiday in fine style. Influenced by the classic exotica of Martin Denny, the aching folk-pop of Fleet Foxes, even the conceptual sweep of The Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle, ‘Misty Valley’ is brimming with delicious breezy melodies and the buoyant vocals of both Bennett and Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Rebecca Pronsky. The single is a delicious taste of the wonders that lie waiting on the album.

“brings together the sophisticated pop soundtracks of Burt Bacharach and Ennio Morricone with the electronic detail of Stereolab and Delia Derbyshire…. If you’re a fan of retro-futurist pop such as the High Llamas then this will be up your aisle” – Proper Songs on Music for Underwater Supermarkets

‘Misty Valley’ is available now for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store. On Holiday will see its official CD release on July 29th with a digital pre-release on July 1st. Read a full press release here.

Rich Bennett – Misty Valley Rich Bennett – Misty Valley

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.

Rich Bennett – Entrance  Rich Bennett – Entrance

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.

Of course the wonderful n5Mailorder in the US continues to distribute (wholesale and retail) Hidden Shoal releases to the US, Europe and Asia. And if digital is you thing then head to the Hidden Shoal Store to buy direct or hit any major digital retailer and you’ll find the full catalogue available.

Enjoy!

Rich is currently working on a new album, due out on Hidden Shoal soon, so he’ll be playing some of this new material at Union Hall, along with tracks from his sublime mini-album, Music For Underwater Supermarkets.

Rich Bennett  Aisle 2: Entrance Rich Bennett – Aisle 2: Entrance

The event has been put together by our friends at the wonderful Loveless Music Group in conjunction with Deluxa, Self Storage Recordings,  Hidden Shoal Recordings, Make Music New York and Time Out. Check out full details here and to get you in the mood here’s a copy and paste from the folk at Loveless,

Make Music New York, described by city officials as “one of the largest musical events in the city’s history,” returns for a third year of free concerts in public spaces throughout the five boroughs of New York City, all on Sunday, June 21st, the first day of summer. MMNY takes place simultaneously with similar festivities in more than 327 cities around the world — a global celebration of music making.”

Ghost in the Water – Magic Wand  Ghost in the Water – Magic Wand

Plus, if you sign up to the Hidden Shoal mailing list this month, you’ll be in for a special surprise in the last week of birthday celebrations. All subscribers will get a free digital album voucher for use in the HSR Store. So if you’re not already on the mailing list then sign up here and we’ll send details out to all subscribers at the end of the month.

Music For Underwater Supermarkets is available in CD and mp3 format from the HSR Store.

Rich Bennett  Aisle 4: Swimming Through The Aisle Rich Bennett – Aisle 4: Swimming Through The Aisle

“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

“they continually showcase new, innovative artists to the masses” —The Silent Ballet

“This generation’s 4AD” – New York radio host and promoter DJ Mojo

The label will host a birthday bash at the Velvet Lounge in Mt Lawley, Perth on the 13th of May. Special guest DJs will be spinning sets curated from the Hidden Shoal catalogue, including previews of some exciting upcoming releases. There will be giveaways, CDs available, and a bevy of local HSR artists to touch! The evening will also feature a special performance by the wonderful pairing of Tristen Parr (Fall Electric, Schvendes) and Stina Thomas (Fall Electric, Stina).

During May the label will be running a number of promotions, including CD giveaways and HSR Store vouchers, as well as in conjunction with a number of other music sites and radio stations. Mailing list subscribers will be in for an extra special range of treats so be sure to sign up and get ready for the goods. All details will be revealed during the month, so stay tuned!

Read a full press release here.

Deluxa is run by the very cool Kristen Stocks who plays in the wonderful NYC outfit Luxa. The store sells a fantastic range of vintage and retro clothing, home wares, and furniture along with its boutique music section. Now that’s a much nicer way to shop for music!

Check the Deluxa website for more details.

Fall Electric – He Told Me So  Fall Electric – He Told Me So

Rich Bennett Aisle 8: The Underwater Supermarket Rich Bennett – Aisle 8: The Underwater Supermarket

Monocle Emmanuelle Monocle – Emmanuelle

Tune in each week to hear come fabulous music including more gems from the HSR catalogue.

East-West Section is like a knife with ears – an audible slice through Hidden Shoal’s 2008 releases. But no blood! We’ve stitched these killer tracks into a brand new tapestry… From the delicate ambient murmur of RL/VL to the avant-pop mastery of Iretsu; the lush lounge-jazz of Rich Bennett to the sublime ambient rock of City Of Satellites; the charming electro-pop of Ghost In The Water to the addictive indie-rock of Fall Electric and The Slow Beings; and acclaimed Hidden Shoal mainstays My Majestic Star, Sankt Otten and Slow Dancing Society. This is an irresistible showcase of the breadth and depth of the Hidden Shoal catalogue.

“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

“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

East-West Section is now available for free digital download from the HSR Store. Read a full press release here.

We can also announce a very special closing set from experimental electronic acousmatitians Enargeia. The duo will perform “Hidden Shoal Redux”, a Stockhausen inspired Hymnen to the HSR sound using their colleagues own recordings as source material for an exploration in sonic chaos.

The party is also the celebration of the release of the new volume in our free sampler album series, East-West Section, which will be available for free download on the night. To anyone attending, bring along your thumb drive or USB stick to be the first to download the album! East-West Section will then be available through the HSR Store.

This event will be suitably HUGE! Be there or become the rhomboid you always feared you might.

And don’t forget that the latest Slow Beings single, ‘Nil By Rote‘, is currently available for free download from the HSR Store.

The Slow Beings Nil By Rote The Slow Beings – Nil By Rote

Sankt Otten Tiefgang Sankt Otten – Tiefgang

Rich Bennett Aisle 8: The Underwater Supermarket Rich Bennett – Aisle 8: The Underwater Supermarket

Rich Bennett Aisle 2: Entrance Rich Bennett – Aisle 2: Entrance

Sankt Otten’s ‘Fernfahrer‘ is still available for free mp3 download from the HSR Store until the re-release of Eine Kleine Traurigkeit on 23rd September, while Rich Bennett’s mini-album Music For Underwater Supermarkets and the new My Majestic Star album Too Late, The Day are both available on CD and mp3 from the HSR Store.

Sankt Otten Fernfahrer Sankt Otten – Fernfahrer

Sharing a sonic playing field with Nick Drake’s Bryter Layter, Burt Bacharach’s instrumental originals, Sam Prekop’s solo debut and Stereolab’s quieter moments, Music For Underwater Supermarkets also stakes out its own idiosyncratic turf, confirming Rich Bennett’s status as a songwriter and producer of exceptional talent. From the chiming guitars and vibraphones of ‘Entrance’ to the melancholy synth undertow of ‘The Underwater Supermarket’, this is a shining and strangely moving symphony to daydreaming. This instrumental mini-album alternates between jazz-infused compositions of exceptional fluidity and sophistication, and moody miniatures, creating a strangely immersive whole that demands repeat listens.

Music For Underwater Supermarkets is available now on CD and in digital format through Hidden Shoal Recordings. Visit the HSR Store for all availability and distribution information, and check out a full press release here.

Rich Bennett – Aisle 2: Entrance  Rich Bennett – Aisle 2: Entrance

‘Aisle 8: The Underwater Supermarket’ is now available from the Hidden Shoal Recordings Store. The single will be available for free download until the 9th of September, when Rich Bennett’s debut mini-album Music for Underwater Supermarkets is released. The mini-album will see both digital and CD release.

Rich Bennett – Aisle 8: The Underwater Supermarket Rich Bennett – Aisle 8: The Underwater Supermarket

Since early childhood, the music of supermarkets, elevators and doctor’s offices has been floating around inside Rich Bennett’s head. When Bennett began to make his own music, much of it seemed to come from the first delightfully soporific melodies he heard while riding around in his mom’s shopping cart as a child. Indeed Bennett’s debut solo outing Music for Underwater Supermarkets is the glistening fruit of a retreat back to those aisles. While informed by the familiar, Music for Underwater Supermarkets breathes gentle yet strange new life into the everyday.

If you think music speaks louder than words then fear not. The first single to be lifted from the mini-album will be available on the 12th August for free download up until the release of Music for Underwater Supermarkets.

In the meanwhile prepare your ears for the treats that await with a track from Monocle’s Outer Sunset.

Monocle – Road Sign Monocle – Road Sign