Hidden Shoal Recordings » Fall Electric Reviews

‘A Million Square Miles’ – The Dwarf

Jamie — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:32:38 +0000

Excerpt: “Turn the clock back a few years and most people were convinced there was something in the water in WA because of the sheer number of excellent acts who called that piece of Australia home. Fast forward to 2010 and it seems our short attention spans have been diverted elsewhere in the search of the source of the ‘next big thing’. A Million Square Miles is a compilation…. Drawing together 16 tracks from eight artists, it successfully navigates the folk, indie pop and rock genres….A Million Square Miles is a pleasing and mellow offering that is easy-on-the-ear and reaffirms the fact that there is something in the water out west.”

The Dwarf

“A Million Square Miles” – Adequacy.net

Thea Porter — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:38:46 +0000

Excerpt: “This is the rare exhibition of musical aptitude that delights from start to finish, with nary a disappointment to be found. Being tagged by some as Australia’s answer to the British label 4AD, Hidden Shoal (HSR) does indeed specialize in a brand of music that places atmosphere, ambience, and texture high on the priority list. With an onslaught of reverb and delay effects that would put the Edge to shame, this album features eight acts that run the gamut from quirky playfulness (Toby Richardson) to hypnotic melodrama (My Majestic Star). 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.”
Adequacy.net

Fall Electric “Measure And Step” – AMG

tim — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:52:55 +0000

Excerpt: “Fall Electric play a spare, stripped-down rock that’s neither lo-fi nor roots music as such — instead, they resemble a calmer, reflective version of acts like the Black Watch, with strings a key part of the instrumentation but playing engaging songs that often start from acoustic guitar rather than electric… Lead singer Andrew Ryan’s voice has the calm, self-possessed sense of a singer like Butterfly Child’s Joe Cassidy, a bit sprightlier at points as a song like ‘Plastic Rabbits’ shows, but not without a sense of hidden depths… it’s the music that comes to the fore time and again, an easy swing that drummer Pete Guazzelli carefully carries with authority, bursting out in full only when he needs to rather than as a matter of course.”

AMG

Fall Electric “Measure And Step” – dBMagazine

tim — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:59:48 +0000

Excerpt: “Measure’s best songs, such as ‘Twine Of Wool’ and ‘Segue’, utilise the band’s obtuse instrumental amalgam (acoustic and slide guitar, cello, synths and drums) along with layered vocals to create shimmering soundscapes, reminiscent at times of Grizzly Bear… the band has the ability to create some of the most interesting and original Australian music to be released in a long while.”

dBMagazine

Fall Electric “Measure And Step” – Ondarock

tim — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:22:07 +0000

Excerpt: “a disc full of emotions that capture your attention… with remarkable results… marked by a great sound overall, the group maintains a significant expressive tension… Measure And Step is an album designed to enthuse the lovers of this kind of music… Fall Electric remains above the ocean of mediocrity of new millennial rock.”

Ondarock

Fall Electric “Measure And Step” – The Dwarf

tim — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:02:54 +0000

Excerpt: “The album release of Fall Electric’s debut, Measure and Step, plays out more like a grand symphony. For indeed Measure And Step incorporates the impressive talent of this trio… a definite edge on their Australian compadres… ultimately, musicianship such as this seems pretty hard to come by and it’s always a pleasure when you experience it in such a unique and varied way”

The Dwarf

Fall Electric “Measure And Step” – Luna Kafe

tim — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 03:48:38 +0000

Excerpt: “a great album. Acoustics with an electric touch. Fall Electric perform a brilliant mixture of folk, pop and rock. They’re perfectly twisted and bent to the avant side of pop, as well as playing more on the trad side without being boring… Fall Electric’s acoustic approach is so powerful and tough… an extremely fascinating collection of songs, and a band with a spellbinding sound. This could easily end up as one of my favourites from the quality label Hidden Shoal, as well as being one of the my fave top 10 albums this year… Fall Electric sounds like a bunch of grounded spacemen. Measure And Step is a stellar performance.”

Luna Kafe

Fall Electric Album Launch Live Review – Xpress

tim — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:57:05 +0000

Excerpt: “Starting as a three-piece (sans-keyboard player, Stina) the band opened with ‘1977′. With its slow, folky, delicate introduction plucked by cellist Tristen Parr, swampy middle section and Jewish-meets-gypsy folk ending, this song was a good introduction to the many strange faces of Fall Electric. The addition of Stina to the stage allowed for a soaring rendition of instrumental ‘Segue’. Whilst providing the uber-relaxed crowd a cinematic soundtrack to their wine sipping, Fall Electric did well to recreate the recorded grandeur of this one. A slightly sped up rendition of ‘Cold Bahama’ took a while to reach the bite and bile of the album version, but hit its straps with some impassioned beating from drummer Pete Guazzelli. ‘Twine Of Wool’, ‘Faithless Friend’ and ‘Noah’ all featured in a solid second half, which saw the band locking into grooves and building up mini musical melodramas within each song. In a town where mould-perfect pop, rock and metal reign supreme, Fall Electric bring some much needed unpredictability and ambiguity to the ear.”

Xpress

Fall Electric ‘Faithless Friend’ – Luna Kafe

tim — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:05:58 +0000

Excerpt: “a stomping piece, a semi-angry and intense song with acoustic string-plucking, including cello. Accurately paranoid and angst-filled, ending with a quick bow to Nirvana (‘Something In The Way’). Nice. Imagine Arcade Fire merged with Wire… ‘Sir Sun Shines Strong’ is all toned-down acoustic and of a more introvert nature. Here’s where Dirty Three comes to mind (Dirty Three doing a cover of Oldham/Billy, maybe). The cello part towards the end is brilliant, and is quite electric. Spellbinding, almost terrifying. These two tracks leaves me very excited to check out their album.”

Luna Kafe

Fall Electric Live Review – Xpress Magazine

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:32:25 +0000

‘Fall Electric are the perfect blend of their influences offering a sound not dissimilar to Bill Calaghan fronting the Dirty Three’. – Xpress Magazine

Fall Electric Live Review – Drum Perth

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:31:09 +0000

‘They’re the kind of musicians who together are capable of mesmerising audiences into complete silence…with waves of harrowing and beautiful cello tones compliment sweeping drums and guitar.’ - Drum Perth

Fall Electric Live Review – Xpress Magazine

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:29:18 +0000

‘Like watching a Bull Fight, Fall Electric are able to stir the audience with frenetic pace and danger and leave them with a sense of calm and relief. Ole!’ - Xpress magazine