Hidden Shoal Recordings » Reviews

Scott Solter “One River” – BlogCritics

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:19:10 +0000

“As a producer and mixer, Scott Solter has worked with Superchunk, Okkervil River, the Mountain Goats, Pattern Is Movement, and the Court and Spark. One River is a re-release of an ambient album he made in 2005.

Ambient music is by nature intangible, meant to evoke sensations and feelings rather than the structure and explicitness of most music. I started listening to One River after visiting the Rothko Chapel in Houston, and I immediately saw the connection between Rothko’s monochromatic paintings and Solter’s washes of sound. Neither is meant to be appreciated in the same way as traditional art. There is no subject matter in Rothko’s paintings just as there is no verse-bridge-chorus structure in Solter’s piece. Instead, both artists are concerned with creating emotions in more subtle ways than does traditional art. What ambient music and abstract art offer is an opportunity to experience art that isn’t trying to define the listener/viewer experience. You aren’t distracted by the form, and so can better experience the sensation that the art evokes in you.

One River is meant to be listened to as one piece, and it slowly ebbs and flows over its 33-minute running time. There are processed guitars, synthesizers, and subtle percussive elements. It pulses and runs like the river it is named after, and the end result feels natural and organic despite the digital tools used to produce it. The overall mood is peaceful and reflective. It never veers into new age cheesiness, and doesn’t contain any unsettling or dissonant moments. I love Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works Volume 2, but there are several tracks on that collection that are truly unsettling; and I was happy that One River avoids getting creepy.

Mark and Laura Solter created a film called Twins and Wives to accompany the re-release. While it is an interesting visualization of the music, I prefer to listen to One River without the visuals. Part of my enjoyment of the album is what images and feelings it brings up. It taps into an area of the brain that most music doesn’t touch.

I really enjoy this album, and I’m thankful that Perth-based Hidden Shoal Recording chose to reissue it. It’s gotten me to explore more ambient music, and has been a wonderful contrast to the majority of music that I listen to. One River is an excellent album that fans of ambient music won’t want to miss.”

BlogCritics

Scott Solter “One River” – Cyclic Defrost

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:01:57 +0000

“Scott Solter, one half of Boxharp and prolific recording engineer, producer, mixer, re-mixer and musician, reissues his 2005 album ‘One River’. It has aspects of what is con temporarily described as glacial ambient, in that it is built from monolithic drone scapes that move slowly and invoke qualities of sparse almost barren climes. As a piece it comprises guitar processed to bare recognition, tape, cymbals, field recordings and manipulated voice, although it’s production qualities are so heavily present that the main instrument would have to be considered as the recording studio. Solter’s press material would have it that he is exploring the space between Brian Eno’s ‘Music for Airports’ and William Basinski’s ‘Disintegration Loops’, although comparisons to some of the output from Glacial Movements would be equally a descriptive shortcut.

‘One River’ is a seven track album which presents itself as one long unfolding with the nominal indexing for motives not quite clear. However they can be considered as movements with a whole with ‘Tarn’ opening the affair as a slow build introducing the elements and developing the recurring motifs into longer cycles. The release to the aspects of lower bass tones to accompany the higher cyclical drones occurs late in ‘Tarn’ and is a focal aspect of ‘Ghost Trains’ along with subtle field recordings of trains and a few guitar flourishes. ‘The Great Cold‘ has an eerier feel with a haunting choral sound and the drones emptied of their melodic tones to almost suggest affect less expression or barren scapes, as the intermittent samples of bird cries sparsely populate the track. ‘Antique Brothers’ slows down the pace and gives nuance to the drones creating distinct tonal variations within the cycles and eliciting a melancholic feel eventually being stripped back to a low tone and stretched minimal renditions of the cycles. ‘Wave and Sepia Wire’ moves back towards a brighter aspects of the cycles which continues through ‘Cypress Road’ building a more solemn sound bespeaking portent which culminates in ‘The Palace Wedding’ and it’s long pristine versions of the drone cycles with upwardly moving effects and gleams shining through in a positive resolve.

‘One River’ has also been made into a video ‘Twins and Wives: a film for One River’ which is to see limited edition DVD release.”

Cyclic Defrost

Scott Solter “One River” – Textura

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:59:26 +0000

“Though Scott Solter’s One River isn’t a new recording—it was first released in 2005 on Tell-All Records—it’s as timeless a recording of ambient music as could be imagined—and beautiful, too, I might add. Its title is well-chosen, as the recording unfolds in an uninterrupted, thirty-four-minute flow, despite the seven-track indexing of its presentation. What separates it from many another ambient recording is its timbral character, and in particular the steel guitar-like sound that Solter generates through the heavily processed treatment of the electric guitar. Its flowing lines reverberate so powerfully One River begins to sound as if it was recorded in an immense cathedral setting. A mood of peaceful calm characterizes the material, as if to suggest the lulling drift of a boat as it floats downstream, propelled by nothing more than the movements of the river itself.

Solter has built up an impressive CV as a producer and for having worked with artists such as Spoon, Pattern is Movement, Superchunk, Liam Singer, and St Vincent, but it’s another side of Solter that’s showcased on One River, the one that finds him acting as a member of both The Balustrade Ensemble and Boxharp, the latter with Wendy Allen (whose manipulated voice briefly appears on One River). Though, as mentioned, One River plays without interruption, distinct shifts in character do assert themselves as the material moves from one indexed track to the next. Whereas “Tarn” inaugurates the journey with a becalmed ebb-and-flow of delicate guitar shadings and soft bell percussion accents, “Antique Brothers” brings the ethereal breath of Wendy Allen aboard; elsewhere, cymbal shadings by Solter’s other guest, Desmond Shea, amplify the resonating character of “Cypress Road” before “The Palace Wedding” closes the album on a ever-so-graceful note. One River is like a single protracted sigh, a lyrical and and beautiful setting that stands head and shoulders above the standard ambient recording.”

Textura

Markus Mehr “In” – A Closer Listen

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:20:05 +0000

“One’s enjoyment of this album will likely hinge on one’s regard for repetition. When a loop changes timbre yet repeats for 25 minutes, is this a good thing or bad? Is the intricate process behind such tweaking fascinating to the ear, or tedious? A curious beauty can arise from the cyclical nature of a morphing sample, a transcendent, trancelike nudge; or the repetition can fall flat and alienate the listener. Fortunately the loops on Markus Mehr‘s In trail lovely threads, like jellyfish, and each stands up considerably well over the course of its delivery. But in the end, it’s not the loops that make the biggest impact; this is reserved for a seemingly un-Mehr like blast of noise located at the album’s centre. This sound is also repeated, but it shakes up the proceedings in a revelatory fashion.

For nearly 14 minutes, “Komo” emerges from a silent cocoon, gradually stretching and testing its boundaries with the aforementioned five-second string motif. The sound is not unlike that of the recent Marta Mist production: languid and sweet, like a ballroom serenade. But then the guitars and electronics make their entrance, balancing the barely-audible beginning with an abrasive end. The string sample is folded back on itself, stuttered, and echoed. A philosopher begins to speak about the “absence of good ideas”. And then he – or more precisely, everything within sonic range, is smashed by a cudgel of sound. And this violence is actually a very good idea, although it does move the last eight minutes of the 26 minute track outside of the ambient comfort zone. It’s a safe bet to say that most listeners won’t hear this coming, but when they do (if they don’t spill their drinks), they will likely reassess their preliminary opinions. Hidden Shoal calls the second track the “darker” one, but the label is dead wrong; “Komo” is Darth, while “Ostinato” is Luke.

This second track also excels at repetition, but its centre sample is less obvious, which helps it to blend in a bit better while hiding its primary appeal. This time around, the electronics are present from the beginning, teeming around the strings like hungry beetles. ”Ostinato” is more mood than movement, and never achieves the heights of its predecessor; it operates like a long, slow coda. The horns of the fifth minute are the highlight, achieving a Caretaker-like grace.

In is the opening salvo of a Mehr triptych; the next installment, On, is scheduled for release in June. On‘s tunes are said to be shorter and more dronelike, which bodes well for the release. After Off arrives in 2013, we may look back and understand If a bit better, but for now it’s an exercise in repetition that reaches its best heights when its patterns are broken. (Richard Allen)“

A Closer Listen

Kramies “The European” – PopMatters

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:54:51 +0000

“Kramies Windt is on to something here. The songwriter’s debut five-track EP for Hidden Shoal marries wafting synth textures and an acoustic guitar bedrock to well-honed direct songcraft, making every cut a keeper. Kramies’ efforts (aided by longtime collaborators Dave Paolucci and producer Todd Tobias) are best realized on the title track, where his journey to stirring-anthem Valhalla finds his voice first recalling Tim Booth of James before ascending to full-on Bono territory. Elsewhere, the chilly expanse of “Coal Miners Executive Club” and its comforting refrain of “We can pace ourselves” swirl inside the head, and “Antiquarian Days” evokes John Lennon at his most reflective. Unlike some more well-known peddlers of similar aesthetic pedigree (Coldplay, I’m looking at you), Mr. Windt’s grand sweeping gestures are never empty, and his hooks are never cheap. It’s no wonder that with each subsequent listen, I find myself enjoying The European more and more.”

PopMatters

Umpire ‘Supply Chins’ – Beat

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:36:42 +0000

“Lot of fine beards in this strapping Perth band. Taken from their debut album Now We’re Active, Supply Chins is a swinging, shimmering sing-along indie track with a slow blowing explosion of a chorus. It is big and beautiful, optimistic and ambitious, bursting with horns and swinging guitars and a melody that floods your head with light.”

Beat

Umpire “Now We’re Active” – Music Emissions

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:31:08 +0000

Excerpt: “‘Green Light District’ kicks it all off with jangly but epic sweeping guitars-guitars that suddenly take off with abrasive but melodic washes, especially toward the end the vocals soar ala Wings-era McCartney. On “Supply Chins”, the now moody, distorted guitars rub against regretful but dreamy vocals-a psych pop masterpiece. Likewise, “Jewellery Can Be Disturbing” features brash guitars and fragile vocals. From the brilliant pop of “Streamers” to the noisy, memorable Milking a Thistle,” Umpire display a dizzying command of pop and rock melody, with slightly abstract lyrics that add to the depth of these seemingly simple tracks. The closer, “Cyclones Into Sunshowers, is a gorgeous and poetic song that is always grounded such that it never threatens to devolve into pathos. This debut by Umpire is mature, catchy and crunchy, with a poise and sense of the dramatic lacking in bands who have been around for years. “Now We’re Active” is a truly active record, by a band that has hit the ground running with a surge of insight and power.”

Music Emissions

Antonymes + Slow Dancing Society ‘We Don’t Look Back for Very Long’ – TwiceRemembered

Jamie — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 13:25:26 +0000

Excerpt: ….It’s the perfect marriage of Sullivan’s 80’s era Ambient meet Hazeldine neo classical minimal ambient. To top it off it’s mastered by Wil Bolton (Hibernate records artists and the owner of the fine “Time Lapse” album) and comes in a limited edition of 100 copies that are letter pressed on 700gm GF Smith board designed by Ian himself. The release is/was a pre-order available from the Hidden Shoal store with 60 copies being there and the remaining 40 going to Norman Records and Stashed Goods. 2011 has been a very productive year for Antonymes, this being the third release on Hidden Shoal (the others being “The Licence to Interpret Dreams” album and the companion piece “Lost in waves of Light”) as well as the release on Time Released Sound and the quality has been there through all the releases. Quite an achievement.”

TwiceRemoved

[The] Caseworker ‘Letters From The Coast’ – DOA

Jamie — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:57:09 +0000

Excerpt: “They aren’t exactly mysterious, [The] Caseworker, they just spread themselves around a lot. With band members variously inhabiting San Francisco, Switzerland and rural England, they seem less of an actual band and more of an association bound only by their musicality…. What it is, is a mellow, blissed out sequence of West Coast guitar pop, one that references Green On Red and Teenage Fanclub as much as it does the more abrasive Sonic Youth and monochromatic Velvet Underground whom [The] Caseworker acknowledge as influences. Alex Chilton casts his lengthy shadow over the songs here too, and there are inflections in the songwriting that reveal Post Punk influences such as Wire and Television Personalities. After all this, while you might think [The] Caseworker haven’t left any room for their own songwriting, they are significantly more than the sum of their influences and Letters From The Coast is a sun drenched dream haze of verging upon euphoric blissed out jangle pop…. Without leaning too heavily on foot pedals and production, and utilising some highly defined instrumental dynamics, Letters From The Coast has as much resonance and melodic energy as any of the bands and musicians whose work [The] Caseworker draw their influence from, and it succeeds fully as a complete album…. Anyone whose album colllection is incomplete without Ocean Rain, Grand Prix and Park Life will find an equally prominent space in it for this twelve track masterpiece.

Delusions Of Adequacy

[The] Caseworker – ‘Letters From the Coast’ – Lost at E Minor

Jamie — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:18:58 +0000

Excerpt: “Letters from the Coast sees the band exude the feel of a shoegazing Velvet Underground as if reared by the Flying Nun label: the perfect balance of drone and chime. Perfectly intoxicating.”

Lost At E Minor

Salli Lunn ‘A Frame Of Reference’ – Music Emission

Jamie — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:05:45 +0000

Excerpt: “It might seem curious for a band to follow up its debut with a record of remixes of songs from that debut, but Salli Lunn are anything but predictable. The Danish noise rockers show on “A Frame of Reference” the hidden depth of many of their prior songs, as well as willingness to re-envision them on the fly. There are a couple new songs here too for the nervous. This is no stopgap release, but an extension of Salli Lunn’s growing confidence. The acoustic techno of “Parachutes Forever (Markus Mehr Remix)” is heavy buy warm, to say nothing of daring given their past work. It announces that the band will not play it safe here…. Salli Lunn’s remixes of early tracks on “A Frame of Reference” are often brilliant efforts that re-imagine those songs but retain their essence. The band’s blend of Krautrock, shoegaze, techno and straight on melodic rock is an addicting stew.”

Music Emissions

Scott Solter ‘One River’ – Twiceremoved

Jamie — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:52:39 +0000

Excerpt: “Scott Solter’s “One River” is a digital and cd re-release of this US Ambient musician/producers album that was originally released on Tell-All records in 2005. Scott Solter wears many hats also being a remixer (such as Hidden Shoal artists Salli Lunn, The Caribbean and other artists such as Division day and Neon Indian), while working as a producer, mixer, recorder with the likes of Spoon, Superchunk, Mountain Goats, Okkervil River as well as being a member of the Balustrade Ensemble and Boxharp. He also had a release on the Manifold label in 2003 called “The Brief Light”. The label has described this release as “exploring the space between Brian Eno’s seminal Music For Airports and William Basinski’s contemporary classic The Disintegration Loops. The music sighs and aches beautifully, gradually transforming with subtlety and grace, lulling the listener into blissful reverie” and I couldn’t describe it better…. Although the album is made up of 7 tracks and a running time of a little over 33 minutes, it works as whole piece to be taken at once. One word sums it up best and that is “Haunting”.”

Twiceremoved

Apricot Rail ‘Surry Hills’ – Twiceremoved

Jamie — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:47:19 +0000

Excerpt: “To describe [Perth] local band Apricot Rail as a post rock band would be doing them an injustice. While sharing the ethos of post rock, their sound is more than just restricted to post rock (which is inevitable with a scene or a sound as becoming a restrictive genre). Described by Rave Magazine as “Imagine the ethereal pop of early Múm, the whimsy of Sigur Rós’ more optimistic moments, and (occasionally) the emotional edge of The Twilight Sad. This is consummate indie post-rock laced with Australiana, and well worth checking out.” They are a multi instrumental sextet and use this to their advantage. “Surry Hills” features both chiming and almost surf like guitars structures, minimal almost hand percussion, flute, shimmering electronics that ebbs and flows with the song changing from being driven by the multiple guitars back to the haunting flute melody. This track is a taster for their future Hidden Shoal album release which is probably going to come out early next year…”

Twiceremoved

[The] Caseworker ‘Letters from the Coast’ – Twiceremoved

Jamie — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:41:21 +0000

Excerpt: “… The band is made up of Conor and Eimer Devlin (Vocals and guitar and bass respectively) as well as Will Waghorn (Drums) and Monte Vallier (Guitar). Their fourth album “Letters from the Coast” was released by Hidden Shoal on September 22. Described by the label as “shoegazing Velvet Underground reared by the Flying Nun label – the perfect balance of drone and chime”. The album has that sort of classic indie pop feel, that if you like the Umpire album you will appreciate [The] Caseworker. It has that balance of Dissonance and Melody which is shown best on tracks such as “Dormer”, “Boats”, “Little Good it did for you”. Without being too obvious with their influences (I detect a little Sonic Youth and the label hint at Yo La Tengo), the album has that degree of familiarity that makes it an easy and enjoyable listen. The first single “National Runner” has a bit of a more lo-fi feel than the rest of the album and has already been picked up by RTRFM.”

Twiceremoved

The Caseworker ‘National Runner’ – Geeks Love To Maths Debate

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:19:45 +0000

Excerpt: “Here’s a great track by a band I’m really glad exists. Remember the ’90s? Well I once went to King Tut’s in Glasgow to see a great band called Swell. They had a brilliant support band called Half Film who played half an hour of dreamy slowcore. I listened to both their full-lengths for years until I discovered Conor and Eimer from the band were still making music. This time round, it was a bit faster and absolutely drenched in hooks. Bingo.”

Geeks Love To Maths Debate

The Caseworker “Letters From The Coast” – Listen Dammit

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:17:28 +0000

Excerpt: “…This time, they amp up the dynamics a bit, resulting in an album that glides by like a sleek dream. Free song “National Runner” blends icy guitars and plangent bass to envelop distant, droning vocals, and the sound is hypnotic.”

Listen Dammit

The Caseworker “Letters From The Coast” – Twiceremoved

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:14:55 +0000

Excerpt: “The album has that sort of classic indie pop feel, that if you like the Umpire album you will appreciate [The] Caseworker. It has that balance of Dissonance and Melody which is shown best on tracks such as “Dormer”, “Boats”, “Little Good it did for you”. Without being too obvious with their influences (I detect a little Sonic Youth and the label hint at Yo La Tengo), the album has that degree of familiarity that makes it an easy and enjoyable listen.”

Twiceremoved

The Caseworker “Letters From The Coast” – Noise

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:12:34 +0000

“Conor & Eimer Devlin (no relation, originally Irish, but relocated from these shores some years ago) form the core of this three-piece. They’ve produced a beguiling album of sunburst guitar melodies, sitting on a foundation of drone, with a thin gauze of hazy suspense draped over it.

We’ve already spoken about the chiming single National Runner written about the Ethiopian long-distance athlete Miruts Yifter and it shares something of his relentless drive. The widescreen feel of Boats is created with banks of ringing, Byrdsian guitars, which combine for a thrilling crescendo.

The beautiful Sea Years has Eimer’s hushed, low-in the-mix vocal set against a driving bassline (reminiscient of Yo La Tengo a little bit). There’s more than a shade of shoegaze about both Sister Song and Little Good It Did You, with fuzz smears and high-fretted bass. And I love The Slow Track with its ingenious uplift of trumpet, coming in the wake of a closet bossa nova. Enigmatic but approachable as anything.”

Noise

The Caseworker “Letters From The Coast” – The Underground of Happiness

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 07:44:54 +0000

Excerpt – “They’ve produced a beguiling album of sunburst guitar melodies, sitting on a foundation of drone, with a thin gauze of hazy suspense draped over it. We’ve already spoken about the chiming single National runner – written about the Ethiopian long-distance athlete Miruts Yifter and it shares something of his relentless drive. The widescreen feel of Boats is created with banks of ringing, Byrdsian guitars, which combine for a thrilling crescendo. The beautiful Sea years has Eimer’s hushed, low-in the-mix vocal set against a driving bassline (reminiscient of Yo La Tengo a little bit). There’s more than a shade of shoegaze about both Sister song and Little good it did you, with fuzz smears and high-fretted bass. And I love The slow track with its ingenious uplift of trumpet, coming in the wake of a closet bossa nova. Enigmatic but approachable as anything.”

The Underground Of Happiness

Apricot Rail ‘Surry Hills’ – The Silent Ballet

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 07:24:48 +0000

“In sorting through the glut of instrumental music releases we receive at The Silent Ballet, it’s rare to come across a single song all by its lonesome and be excited. “Surry Hills” is the first work released by the Perth, Australia-based Apricot Rail since their eponymous debut back in 2009. While previously having erred on the the shimmery and sunny side of post rock, the band shows a new level of maturity in balancing chimes, woodwinds, guitars and other spritely sounds. With flute and clarinet leading the sun to a fog-less morning, all manner of life delicately rises from the soil. The progression within the song is entirely natural in feeling, the ride cymbal joined by a subtle, synthetic rhythm and a hopeful guitar melody tying everything together with a satin bow. This track is a sign of a new direction and pallette that Apricot Rail are destined to explore further on their sophomore album, due next year. 4/5″

The Silent Ballet

Umpire “Now We’re Active” – PopMatters

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:12:11 +0000

“Purveyor of a soaring brand of indie rock that radiates a sun-bathed relaxation, the Australian four-piece Umpire has put together quite a nice little debut LP here. The most appealing aspect of Umpire’s offerings is the clipped-yet-fluid mid-rangey guitar grooves (equal parts redolent of Modest Mouse and math rock) that form the bedrock for the group’s Panoramic ambitions. The band is so adept at knitting those circulating riffs that it falters in comparison on the quieter moments (largely reserved for the final tracks on the record), where things are noticeably looser and less considered. No matter, for Umpire sticks to its strong suits more often than not on Now We’re Active, resulting in a pleasant, beaming album that’s likely to ease listeners into a contented frame of mind.”

PopMatters

Umpire – “Now We’re Active”

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:20:47 +0000

Excerpt: “‘Green Light District’ reflects an upbringing on left of centre American radio rock. It’s anthemic but it has a core of misery running through its veins. The second song, ‘Supply Chins’, is propelled by crunchy guitar riffs and FM friendly choruses. It’s an impressive start from Umpire and they very rarely lose momentum after that. The guitar and vocal curveballs on ‘Corner An Owl In An Alcove’ and ‘Jewellery Can Be Disturbing’ are as inventive as their titles suggest and even more compelling… ‘Streamers’ and ‘Milking A Thistle’ sees them invigorated with youthful exuberance, whilst the stark, echo-laden ‘Spotlights’ proves they can perform ballads and still send shivers down the spine. Intelligently the group have learned from experiences in progressive, American radio and post rock to produce a satisfying and complete record. This is proof that mature rock can also thrill.”

Leonards Lair

Antonymes ‘The Licence to Interpret Dreams’ – Sonomu

Jamie — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 02:39:40 +0000

Excerpt: “Welsh composer Ian M. Hazeldine, billed as Antonymes, pulled off a balletic balancing act between delicate and distinct, movement and rest with his short debut album ”Beauty Becomes the Enemy of the Future”, released 2009 on Cathedral Transmissions. With his third effort, he maintains that equilibrium admirably, with one huge slip-up. Inspired by Morton Feldman´s idiosyncratic description of music as a surface, Antonymes opens with ”A Fragile Acceptance”, nearly non-existent piano becoming engulfed in whispy clouds of strings which soon mass into a brace of rather muscular and insistent violins. As the album progresses, a genuinely exquisite dream state is maintained, sculpting with air or sitting and thinking aloud at the piano, all rendered with great eloquence. An odd but not oddly out of place piece entitled ”Doubt” appears midway through, in which one Jan Van Den Broeke recites a poem by one Paul Morley. I don´t know who either of these chaps are, but its weirdly halting, Dutch-robotic inflected cadence is somehow mesmerizing. Unfortunately, Hazeldine stumbles into overblown Emerson Lake and Palmer territory with ”The Door Towards the Dream”, which doesn´t get any better when a Rick Wakemanesque choir and keyboards section takes over. Pompous and sticky. This in striking contrast to the dignified, restrained chorale ”On Approaching the Strange Museum” with which the record ends.”

Sonomu

Umpire ‘Now We’re Active’ – Muso’s Guide

Jamie — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 02:35:47 +0000

Excerpt: “… Although Now We’re Active is the band’s debut album, the general brain usage and song writing behind the project initially began in 2006. Umpire’s album has essentially been five years in the making, with a taster given via the 2009 released self titled EP, but news of a ten track record was naturally going to be intriguing. Now We’re Active defines Umpire’s style brilliantly in their ability on one album to present fast, complex guitar rhythms, typical of the math rock genre combined with slower, pleasing, melancholic sounds. These polarities can be seen from the tingling fade out of ‘Spotlights’ to the powerful guitar and drums in the first 10 seconds or so of ‘Jewellery Can Be Disturbing’, personally a highlight on the album…. Umpire have quoted one of their influences as ’90s alternative band Pavement, and this can definitely be heard throughout Now We’re Active, perhaps in the cool, slightly indifferent vocal style Symons and Pavement’s lead singer Stephen Malkmus both use. The abundance of the start and stop technique is seen often throughout the album – I read a review that believed this technique was over used by the band and this perhaps can be seen on ‘Corner An Owl In An Alcove’ although this is actually one of my favourite songs on the album…. I am going to ambush the opportunity to roll out the much used phrases ‘lump in the throat’ and ‘hairs on the back of the neck standing up’ – they can be accurate but just kinda suck, so I am going to nimbly skirt the edges of the cliché minefield as best I can. All I can say is the fading end seconds of ‘Cyclones Into Sunshowers’ definitely leave you with a bit of a tingly feeling.’”

Muso’s Guide

Umpire ‘Now We’re Active’ – Stereo Subversion

Jamie — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 02:27:07 +0000

Excerpt: “The guys of Umpire are obviously working with a motif: the lyrics, musicality, even the album cover — featuring a wide blue sky and open field — of Now We’re Active all are driven by a sense of expansiveness. The group uses echoistic qualities, minimal but well-placed drums and pointed song titles (“The Canyon” is a literal example) to convey a sense of the natural, the wide and serene. Each track sounds polished and extremely well crafted yet incredibly sincere, primarily due to the soaring, evocative quality of the vocals. Now We’re Active has an astounding sense of progression. Somewhat repetitively employing the use of loud-soft-loud dynamics (think Death Cab for Cutie), the musical and songwriting talents of these guys produces some real standout tracks…. Were every track on Now We’re Active to be as perfectly balanced as “On The Fringes,” the album would be much more of a standout. As it is, the LP is still an extremely strong debut but sometimes struggles with a lack of variety in its song structures. Within the expansive feel of Umpire’s music, that just means they have room to grow.”

Stereo Subversion

Slow Dancing Society ‘Under the Sodium Lights’ – A Strange and Isolated Place

Jamie — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 02:16:31 +0000

Ecerpt: “After being introduced to Jumpel and his brilliant album ‘Europa‘ my invasion of the Hidden Shoal back catalogue has stepped up a gear. Turns out Hidden Shoal are one of those record labels that has the ability to fill an entire weekend with blissful headphone listening, and Slow Dancing Society is just one of the many artists that make-up a superb roster of ambient musicians. Washington based artist Drew Sullivan creates a multitude of different approaches to ambient music. You’ll find post-rock inspired pieces awash with layered and reverberant guitars, light and melody, similar to Robin Guthrie and Winterlight and some deep and immersive ambient pieces stretching over 13 minutes, with every track perfecting the art of emotion, be it blissful and euphoric or slightly melancholic.”

A Strange and Isolated Place

Jumpel ‘Europa’ – A Strangely Isolated Place

Jamie — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 02:06:19 +0000

Excerpt: “… Jo Dürbeck aka Jumpel, found inspiration from time travelling around Europe which has materialised into a very special album, where each track represents a different city, feeling and stage of the journey. “Like many journeys, Europa begins with speculation and tentative steps. In ‘Arles’ and ‘Bern’, the delicate pattering of subtle rhythms is counterbalanced with delicate melodic figures, like light reflecting off water. ” Taking different approaches throughout, ‘Europa’ transcends into a multitude of feelings and ultimately a true sense of change and progression is apparent, until a beautiful vocal hits in ‘Edinburgh’, lighting up an already sublime album. I have it on good word from Pete Srdic (asip’s ears on the ground!) that Jo’s other albums are just as special and varied in their approach, so time to get digging. You can get ‘Europa’ on Jumpel’s Bandcamp and believe it or not, the best track on the album ‘Edinburgh’ is available as a free download (video below). For links to the rest of his releases, see the Hidden Shoal label site or the Jumpel website.”

A Strangely Isolated Place

Scott Solter “One River” – Pitchfork

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 04:14:48 +0000

Excerpt: “…a mixture of heavily processed guitars, field recordings, and manipulated voices (provided by Wendy Allen) comparable to Brian Eno. Seven songs run seamlessly together, each inhaling and exhaling tone after tone… landscape imagery comes to mind in every song, making listening to this record not so like hearing a story as taking a journey.”

Pitchfork

Scott Solter “One River” – Dusted

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 04:01:59 +0000

Excerpt: “If you can imagine the pure abstraction of middle C, without the intermediation of breath or fingers touching strings or any effort at all, that’s essentially the sound of One River.”

Dusted

Umpire “Now We’re Active” – 4ZZZ

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:15:50 +0000

“Umpire are an indie-rock band out of Perth that neatly balance their anthemic qualities with a bit of artistic depth. Their vocalist who I think is Simon Struthers recalls The Shins’ James Mercer with his clear and ringing high notes while the seamless intertwining of indie-rock, pop and prog sensibilities produces a sound that is both highly listenable and far from boring. I find I’m enjoying this quite a lot.”

4ZZZ

Umpire “Now We’re Active” – The Vine

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:00:20 +0000

Excerpt: “These songs are both cerebral and sentimental, swerving through tricky structures and wordplay even as singer-guitarist Geoff Symons waxes romantic… Like Transatlanticism-era Death Cab for Cutie, Umpire uses the dramatic tides and crashes of post-rock and math-rock to heighten the emotion of what’s essentially muscular guitar-pop. On tracks like ‘The Canyon’, there’s a clean-cut lilt to Symons’ voice that can’t help but recall Ben Gibbard’s. That said, these songs also have the stop-start volatility of cult ’90s guitar heroes like Polvo and Chavez. Produced with absolute crispness by bassist Simon Struther, the instruments move like an intricate conversation between old friends. Which makes sense, given the long history of these players… This is a very specific kind of indie rock: inventive and self-aware but grounded in ringing melodies and lived-in emotions. Now We’re Active is weird, guitar-addled fun.”

The Vine

Umpire ‘Now We’re Active’ – TwiceRemoved

Jamie — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 01:29:32 +0000

Excerpt: “Perth has had a strong history of Pop bands…. The latest in the pop lineage is Umpire whose members have history in bands such as Adam said Galore, O, Mukaizake and they’ve just released their debut album “Now We’re Active” on Hidden Shoal. The album contains all the trademarks of a good pop release with a major factor in it’s sound is the crystal clear production of bassist Simon Struthers work at Forensic Audio. Strong melodies, darting in guitars, strong hooks and enough grit to provide an enjoyable listen…. The label press release that comes with the promo I received mentions that the band “formed in 2006 as a studio songwriting and recording project where … opportunity to utilise the studio as an instrument, developing their songs without the pressures of playing as a live band”. Normally you see such references of the studio as an instrument in electronic/experimental music, but it suits Umpire as you can see they have put a lot of thought into the music and how it sounds. The highlight track for me (pretty much liking it the first time I heard it on RTR) is “The Canyon”. It’s opening line could be the mantra of this blog especially when it comes to me reviewing: “I can’t articulate all these thoughts zigzagging through my head, there’s no exit” covers all the ground I mentioned above and is a mini epic clocking in at 5:19 and being the longest track on the album…. “Green Light District”, the lead out single which can be picked up for free here has a very summery and fresh sound reminding me of The Go-betweens, not musically but in that care free feel that they had on songs like “Spring Rain”.

TwiceRemoved

Umpire ‘Now We’re Active’ – Reviewed Music

Jamie — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 01:10:04 +0000

Excerpt: “Since formation as a studio-based trio back in 2006, Perth’s Umpire have honed their sound over a couple of EPs, added a drummer and released their debut album Now We’re Active. They make self-described ‘wide-screen indie rock’ and both their sound and choice of titles perpetuates this sense of vast open spaces. The Canyon typifies this sound; gently building guitar and drum lines unfurl around Geoff Symon’s vocals, which in turn conjures thick, bass-driven riffs. While full of crescendos and sudden drop-offs, the band inhabit, rather than dominate the soundscapes they create. Restrained production and performance give the record’s quieter moments clarity and definition, and when the sound does expand to fill the space they’ve created, the marked contrast is satisfying both texturally and sonically. Opening single Green Light District sees this approach close to perfected as sparse drum-powered verses emerge into choruses overflowing with vocal harmonies and rippling guitar lines…. Indeed, more than anything, it hints at what the Umpire live performance may sound like and – importantly – should spark a desire in the listener to go and find out.”

Reviewed Music

Umpire “Green Light District” – Luna Kafe

tim — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 08:33:31 +0000

Excerpt: “‘Green Light District’ is the new single by Perth band Umpire, according to their label Hidden Shoal they’re ‘widescreen indie-rock craftsmen’. True words. Craftsmen with a big heart… ‘Green Light District’ is very catchy and contagious, holding a good grip onto melancholia. It’s a gracious song, sort of a perfect spring (well, early summer, Norwegian style) song. This is bliss-pop like from the days of the Chills and the Bats, Flying Nun early 1990s. Neat stuff!”

Luna Kafe

Umpire ‘Now We’re Active’ – DOA

tim — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 00:35:56 +0000

Excerpt: “Now We’re Active is both a testament to the band’s faith in their own work and a smartly crafted collection of guitar songs which, while it won’t win any awards for groundbreaking artistic imagination or surreally inspired experimentalism, is probably exactly what you might want to listen to when driving from the band’s Australian hometown of Perth to anywhere else on the map… Umpire reveal themselves as a band whose imaginations are very far from limited by their mastery of the soft rock format they introduce themselves with… Now We’re Active is an album which reveals a band whose imaginations are now finally within their own grasp as musicians. Alternately full on, grandiose and brilliantly inventive, Umpire have very nearly made a prog rock masterpiece, and I say nearly only because their more ambitious ideas are continuing to develop. That journey from Perth to Melbourne won’t seem quite so long with this on the car stereo.”

DOA

Antonymes ‘The Licence to Interpret Dreams’ – Phantom Channel

tim — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 00:15:27 +0000

Excerpt: “The Licence To Interpret Dreams is an inspiring album centred in and around the cinematic ambient and modern classical fields that will surely appeal to fans of Max Richter, Johann Johannsson or Rudi Arapahoe’s brilliant Echoes From One To Another. Piano plays the lead part with Hazeldine employing an array of string and brass instruments alongside it, with the likes of harpsichord, organ, cello and glockenspiel all making a distinctive mark occasionally with angelic choir singing, field recordings and narcotic spoken word segments added in tandem to great effect. From the first, tentative piano note which is struck 9 seconds into opener ‘A Fragile Acceptance’ there’s an air that something special is afoot in this Antonymes release. Which proves to be the case during this LP’s 50 minute+ duration. It’s an album that needs to be digested as a whole, not for the iPod shuffle generation. It needs time to work its mesmeric charms over you, creating varying, shifting moods across the 12 tracks, with Hazeldine inviting us to interpret these dreamscapes… I recently read that Hazeldine would like to get into composing film scores, from this evidence The Licence To Interpret Dreams is a soundtrack for a film yet to be made.”

Phantom Channel

Antonymes ‘The Licence to Interpret Dreams’ – The Silent Ballet

tim — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 00:02:50 +0000

Excerpt: “The Licence To Interpret Dreams is a captivating yet lethargic album, slowly layering simple parts as a means of carrying the listener along, creating a hazy and ambiguous sense of place, dreamlike in its contours… Rich with imagery from the song titles and the striking album art, Antonymes’ work still manages to convey a sense of vagueness and ambiguity, making the references to dreams carry more weight. A dreamlike logic, or better, perhaps, a counterlogic, guides the trajectory of the album… Hazeldine is certainly a thoughtful craftsman, and he seems to realize that his work is best received when it is given room to breathe, when its elements are not closed to interpretation.. With an emphasis on piano and strings, along with swirling textures providing a backdrop (and at times even steering), Antonymes is at his most beautiful and coherent yet… The Licence to Interpret Dreams is a majestic testament to a talent that is fully realized… Hazeldine’s work is distinct, yet the parts remain hazy in one’s memory, dreamlike… the packaging of this releases demonstrates a careful eye for detail and an appreciation for extramusical symbolism, and the music itself often demonstrates the restraint and contrasts of the artwork, the textures combining in ways that could be called ‘painterly’ without too much of a stretch… The compositions seem designed to engulf the listener, to transport them to another place, or at least, to carry them along on the journey. This requires an abandonment that ambient music doesn’t necessarily require.”

The Silent Ballet

Antonymes ‘The Licence To Interpret Dreams’ – Ondarock

Jamie — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 07:35:12 +0000

Excerpt [translated]: “Noises, voices and fragments of sound collected in remote and abandoned areas are Hazeldine’s substrate around which he built his first album… As already revealed by its evocative title, The Licence To Interpret Dreams is more than an album; it is a dream narrative based on the themes of nostalgia, divided into twelve episodes… in spite of references to dreams, the atmosphere of the album is anything but languid and dreamy, but rather marked by very deep alienation, in which sinuous environmental recordings coexist with sparse piano notes and a mournful string section, which adds a sense of distant romance, often shifting into miniature symphonies of loss and regret… The ultimate essence of The Licence To Interpret Dreams remains that of a cerebral journey into the recesses of memory, photography, and, ultimately, emotion, carried out without too many conceptual superstructures, and full of nuances that reveal themselves every time you listen… this is not only music for dreams, but rather a complex mosaic by a romantic minimalist, praised over the years and now able, with great precision, to capture snapshots of light and darkness.”

Ondarock

Antonymes ‘The Licence To Interpret Dreams’ – PopMatters

Jamie — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 23:40:04 +0000

Excerpt: “It’s the lingering of sounds that interests Ian M. Hazeldine. Each note is a point of noise that decays over time, sharp at first, then aging, dissolving and becoming inaudible. These musical representatives of physical piano keys die humbly like waves on a beach, though the keys themselves—located somewhere in North Wales, snug under the lid of his instrument—remain rectangular and solid. Here we have cello and violin, a church-organ keyboard in “The Gospel Pass”, a few intrusive vocal samples and ongoing electronic manipulation. Winds hiss. Strings are made to reverberate and surge. He isn’t the first musician to have tried an ambient sound like this, but he has a terrific instinct for timing and spaciousness and a taste for the kind of chamber music tone that creates a sense of gravity.”

PopMatters

Iretsu ‘Sexy, No?’ – Phantom Channel

Jamie — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 22:56:33 +0000

Excerpt: “Iretsu are a band that sound like no other, with a theatrical bent that underpins their clever math-pop + anything goes style. They’re a band with boundless energy, to the point where you don’t quite know what to expect. It seems there’s always something new on the horizon when this Portland, Oregon quartet is around. It’s as if they have tapped into a 4th dimension of pop, one which us mere mortals cannot see. ‘Sexy, No?’ is their new (free download) single, lifted from last year’s excellent ‘Fang’ LP and released by the consistently great Australian imprint Hidden Shoal (more on them soon). It’s a funky number anchored by a throbbing, forthright bass line and bongo-infused percussion, which leaves the guitar free to create some interesting, exuberant sounds amidst the layered vocals. It’s another feather in the cap for the peerless Iretsu, a band that continually proves to be as eclectic as they come. Such eclecticism doesn’t detract from the overall quality of the song either, there’s no needless noodling, Iretsu don’t need to flex their instrumental prowess. Instead, ‘Sexy, No?’ is delivered in a succinct, infectious and delightful fashion.”

Phantom Channel

Antonymes ‘Lost In Waves Of Light’ – Music Addicted

Jamie — Mon, 30 May 2011 03:22:36 +0000

Excerpt: “There is something untypically delicate about Lost In Waves Of Light, Antonymes’s new composition. Ian M. Hazeldine, creative mind hidden behind this contrasting pseudonym, has just released his most audacious and creative piece on The Licence To Interpret Dreams but what is even more striking is this particular composition which connects various elements from above mentioned album. In comparison to his recent mildly dreamy, more ambient piano-oriented work, Lost In Waves Of Light sounds bit bolder and more resolute. That’s mostly caused by Antonymes’s beautiful arrangements for violin played by Christoph Berg, better known as Field Rotation. Actually, what makes them so pleasing and captivating is the concreteness and motional decisiveness that are both on higher levels than in Antonymes’s more ambient works. On the top of it, putting four different fragments guarantees slight changes in moods and evolution of altered motives. Therefore, the feeling of epic and some surreal kind of story are preserved. Close your eyes and get lost in waves of diminishing lights.”

Music Addicted

Iretsu ‘Fang’ – Reviewed Music

Jamie — Mon, 30 May 2011 03:12:47 +0000

Excerpt: “I am perhaps a bit late to the party – given that Portland Oregon quartet Iretsu launched their album, Fang, late last year. However, with their second single, ‘Sexy, No?’ a recent release, I think it best to look at the track in the context of the album that it was recorded as part of. Provocative, in both title and bassline, Sexy, No? slouches and swaggers in a fashion that – despite the group’s avant-pop reputation is a little reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand’s Ulysses. That’s not to call it derivative, there’s too much nuance here for it to ever be a balls-to-the-wall pop song. However, the insistent bass riff and accompanying electric guitar hooks certainly leave this tune standing as one of the punchiest and most accessible of the 14 on the album…. Iretsu acquit themselves across a range of styles; the dreamy waltz of Sleep, sparsely arranged with whistles, tambourine and deep semi-spoken vocals is a gentle folk lullaby. Meanwhile, Ha Ra is reminiscent of a slightly-reserved Of Montreal; confident vocals, simple rhythm section and a smirking air that feels like it conceals an inside joke…. If you want Iretsu the indie pop band, the singles are the best place to start; however, if you’re after a more varied tapestry, Fang covers quite a lot of ground. The avant-everything label should probably be taken with a grain of salt, but even so, there is an abundance of genre-bending talent within the group and lovers of the eclectic will probably find plenty here to sink their teeth into.”

Reviewed Music

Antonymes ‘Lost In Waves Of Light’ – Opus

Jamie — Mon, 30 May 2011 02:11:19 +0000

Excerpt: “I’ve only recently discovered the music of Welsh musician Ian M. Hazeldine, who records under the Antonymes moniker. His most recent album, The Licence To Interpret Dreams (Hidden Shoal Recordings), is a lovely collection of ambient and “modern classical” songs in the vein of Max Richter and Jóhann Jóhannsson. “Lost In Waves Of Light” was created from fragments of that album, and I daresay that it’s one of the loveliest pieces of music I’ve heard to date. A swirling, shimmering latticework of gilded electronics, melancholy strings and drones, and sparse piano melodies, “Lost In Waves Of Light” is a song that sounds like it could go on for hours without ever becoming the slightest bit tiring or boring. The song clocks in at over eight minutes as it stands, but it feels like it ends much too soon, the lovely drones and weeping strings coming to too abrupt an end.”

Opus

Antonymes ‘The Licence to Interpret Dreams’ – Cyclic Defrost

Jamie — Fri, 27 May 2011 06:12:38 +0000

Excerpt: “Ambient is term which can be thrown about a little too readily these days. But how do you define it? Simple song structures? Sparse instrumental arrangement? Pace? Or a combination of these things? One’s thing’s for sure: if you were to add beauty to that list, then The License to Interpret Dreams is Ambient 101… Fusing gentle piano thoughts, aching string lines, and fleeting field recordings, Antonymes paints a sonic tapestry of majestically minimal excursions into daydream-esque escapes…. In all it’s ghostly choirs and reverbed thumps, it feels like an enormous lumbering spirit, perhaps that of the land itself, steadily traversing the terrain in sheer majestic wonderment, before slowly making it’s way off into the night, before the memory of him emerges from the darkness a full minute later, almost pleading for you not to forget the beauty you’ve just witnessed. Perhaps the most important ingredient of ambient music is Patience. This is something Antonymes seems supremely capable of. Each instrument, each melody is very carefully considered, and held just until the right time, before gently being allowed to proceed. As the title suggests, this music really does have the license to interpret dreams, and presents everything that is right about ambient experimental music. A beautiful edition. Go find it.”

Cyclic Defrost

Umpire ‘Green Light District’ – Rave Magazine

Jamie — Mon, 16 May 2011 06:29:54 +0000

Excerpt: “Hidden amongst the major label shallowness this week, Green Light District is the one single that keeps drawing me back. The one thing that’s hardest to put a finger on is the length; it’s damn well the shortest four-minute song I’ve ever heard. Umpire’s breezy wide-panned progressive rock – smothered in buttery, reverberating humbucker tone – puts you in a daze, and before you know it, the song is over. There’s something very satisfying about the way the Perth outfit goes about their business here; laying about a generally relaxed vibe is a really vague wistfulness – or ‘arthouse happiness’ if you prefer the darker side of life. Ordinarily you’d write this off as a fluke, but the Umpire EP featured a similar – if slightly less developed – approach, so the full-length is one I’ll be sticking on as soon as it drops.”

Rave Magazine

Antonymes ‘The Licence to Interpret Dreams’ – The Underground of Happiness

Jamie — Mon, 16 May 2011 06:22:13 +0000

Excerpt: “A deceptively simple set of neo-classical instrumentals (there is spoken word on one track), featuring piano, atmospherics and heart-swelling orchestral arrangements, from north Wales’ Ian Hazeldine. There’s a stillness and glacial beauty about these tunes which inevitably bring existential matters to mind. The maritime pull of The siren, hopelessly lost, for example. Or The Gospel Pass, with a religious bearing brought on by a solemn church organ. The single Endlessly somehow draws a rumbling chord from a series of ineffable tones. An unexpected muted trumpet fanfare opens The door towards the dream, followed by a female soprano signalling the stars. The Reichian piano structure of A light from the heavens is gradually submerged under yearning cellos. Honestly, the fact that one man/the world can produce an album this gorgeous gives hope for the future of the human race.”

The Underground of Happiness

Rich Bennett ‘Misty Valley’ – MOKB

Jamie — Mon, 16 May 2011 05:44:17 +0000

Excerpt: “… Neo-lounge composer Rich Bennett is sure to find favor with the modern yacht rock crowd, but truth be told, his stylistic lineage traces back through folks like Esquivel, Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman. His 2010 release,On Holiday, found plenty of favor with both critics and the martini set, and coming at this point in time, his new video for the gauzy Misty Valley almost feels like a lackadaisical afterthought. Not that I’m complaining. It’s all a passing sad daydream, with found footage casting a soft focus on the breezy buttermilk sky pop. Highly recommended with cocktails and nostalgia.”

My Old Kentucky Blog

Umpire ‘Green Light District’ – Adequacy.net

Jamie — Mon, 16 May 2011 05:34:27 +0000

Excerpt: “Once again we’re blessed with another amazing band brought to us by Hidden Shoal Recordings. Umpire is their newest signing and they make a fine addition to the labels already amazing, and eclectic roster. Hailing from Perth, Umpire bring their bouncy, Smiths like charm into 2011. Although their first full length, Now We’re Active isn’t set to be released until June 2 (July 14 in the States), “Green Light District” is available now as a free download. The single is upbeat and poppy with a chorus that wails, featuring a guitar line mid-way through the song that would make Sonic Youth bow their heads. If this track is in any way a sign of things to come, then rest assured that when the album hits, it’ll leave fans mesmerized.”

Adequacy

Antonymes ‘Licence to Interpret Dreams’ – Norman Records

Jamie — Mon, 16 May 2011 05:29:46 +0000

Excerpt: “I don’t remember hearing this chap before. That doesn’t mean to say I’ve not heard him before. My memory has been reduced to a pile of rubble in recent years and I often can’t remember anything unless it’s happened in the last 5 minutes and that’s pushing it. I blame the internet. Anyhoo Mr Antonymes is from North Wales and here’s made a neo-classical droney opus which is delicately layered in micro electronics. It’s really quite lovely indeed. Piano and drones with tinkles, crackles, fizzes and possibly a whoop here and there with the occasional vocal explosion from Jan Van Der Broek (Ren…). It’s delightfully moving, thoroughly spacious and rather epic sounding when listened to in its entirety. A very accomplished piece of work!”

Norman Records

Antonymes ‘The Licence to Interpret Dreams’ – Textura

Jamie — Mon, 16 May 2011 05:27:09 +0000

Excerpt: “The latest opus from North Wales-based Ian Hazeldine under the Antonymes moniker, The Licence To Interpret Dreams is a beautiful collection regardless of whether one classifies it as electronic chamber music or ambient neo-classical. A marvel of conception and form, the album’s twelve pieces are numbered on the back cover as dreams (“Dream I,” “Dream II,” etc.), which proves to be a fitting strategy for an album that unfurls like a graceful plume of smoke captured in slow-motion. It’s music that never feels as if it’s groaning under the weight of a too-cluttered arrangement; instead, Hazeldine opts for restraint and elegance in the selection and distribution of the sounds making up the pieces…. The Licence To Interpret Dreams is an album that features one stirring moment after another, with seemingly every piece distinguished by an ear-catching moment or two…. Antonymes’ album is one that would have natural appeal to listeners whose recent playlists have included work by Field Rotation, Harold Budd, Nils Frahm, and Dustin O’Halloran, to name a few who could be seen as kindred spirits to Hazeldine.”

Textura