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

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

Excerpt: “Tangled Star’s approach is to be too trad for indie, too rock for country, too unpolished for top 40, or too rocking for folk, but this confluence will wind up being the kind of thing that appeals to most fans of those other genres rather than shutting them out…Tangled Star make another good case for being an uncomplicated, satisfying band who is as at ease with what one presumes to be a Townes Van Zandt homage (“Pictures of Lefty”) as it is with a stunning Damien Jurado-esque ballad about the inexorable pull of small towns that has an intro straight out of Pink Floyd’s Meddle (“seabirdtown”). That’s a lot of ground to cover, or range to exhibit, and Tangled Star makes it look and seem not just easy but natural.”

PopMatters

Excerpt: “Tarcutta’s first outing on Hidden Shoal Recordings is an impressive debut that nails (in one hit) the post rock instrumental form that this label so diligently champions. [The organ/piano combination] lends Tarcutta a distinctive sound and aids their movement into compositional domains beyond the boundaries of visceral rock sport. Indeed, a furtive maddening organ solo during ‘You Gotta crawl before you walk, before you waltz’ demonstrates clearly the distinctive possibilities of this oft neglected instrument. Tarcutta’s self titled album will provide a thrill to post rock friendly ears out there who prefer their music with intelligent compositions, wide vistas and the odd modicum of raw power.”

Cyclic Defrost