Excerpt: “more of Tangled Star’s sympathetic mixture of mid-tempo, mellow indie pop/rock with a slight, slight touch of alt country/Americana… Quality songs. Solid material. In fact, music for bigger masses, without being too mainstream. Just catchy and accessible pop songs. The smashing (single) song this time is ’seabirdtown’, a mini-epic pop song, stretching over 6 minutes. A lush and mellow piece of well-balanced rock with the right edge… A solid little record by Tangled Star.”

Luna Kafe

“Tangled Star ‘that time’ (hidden shoal). How could we honestly resist, another case of a band seemingly so far escaping the affectionate gaze of our usually slightly off tuned radar – until now that is. Led from the fore by a certain Craig Hallsworth, Tangled Star have been something of a much admired fixture on the Australian indie underground for a few years now releasing in that time a self titled debut full length and several EP’s and singles the most recent being this demurring 4 track set entitled ’that time’. blessed with an acute ability to have you all at once marvelling aglow in subdued awe at the spectacle of their delicately calibrated caress like airy drift pop while simultaneously drawing you low amid the affecting undertow of bruised hurt, ‘Pictures of Lefty’ is particularly cast as such, an absorbing and yearning beauty dimpled with porch dreamt reflective sea faring opines and that self same cosy toed bitter sweet melancholia of wallowing crestfallen country tweaked tides that at one time a few years ago appeared to be the sole trademark sound of both Pavement and Garlic. Similarly affected is the woody and mellow ’seabirdtown’ with its welcoming opening ambit a simply plaintive ‘fuck’ soon given way to something that ripples, radiates and blossoms amid a dressage of shimmering keys and softly burnt riff cascades which had us much in mind of Hefner shimmying with the Clientele at times. ’I had something good in my life and didn’t want to lose it’ should prove particular interest to admirers of the criminally underappreciated Kelman with its 60’s sourced hollowed soul pop drive and distant nods to early career Go Betweens though all said for us best moment of the set is the parting title cut ’that time’. a gorgeously bespoke slice of numbing classicism brought on by the souring serenade of an introspectively cast key braid, all at once mellow and elegant and of course surrendering and teasingly tearful. Tasty stuff.”

Losing Today

Excerpt: “The rich, gentle roil of sound evidenced on Our Man in Eden Hill, the band’s third overall release, has the same surging, warmly anthemic sound of stellar forebears galore, each sonically different — the Triffids, Died Pretty, perhaps most inevitably the Go-Betweens — but which altogether seem to capture a sense and a style more than might be guessed, something detailed, mournful, and a little crushing even at its strongest; feedback and background flows of classic keyboards and steady drumming all interplaying behind lead singer Craig Hallsworth’s work. By putting it all together and adding their own touches — the suddenly thrilling funk/psych guitar shades on ‘The Skaters,’ for instance — Tangled Star help make a claim on something more than re-creation.”

AMG

Excerpt – “The band possesses the distinct knack of creating catchy pop songs that hit just the right elements to keep a listener tuned in for a long time. Their latest EP, Our Man in Eden Hill, is a fine reminder of the band’s ability to craft smart, affecting music…. A song like “The Skaters” is evenly balanced with a reflective piano and Hallsworth’s gentle vocals. It’s the kind of song that starts out pleasant enough but can touch your heart in many ways. The sounds recall some of Radiohead’s better chords and progressions (especially the ending) and the music ends up being one of the EP’s highlights because of it….Hallsworth’s voice is reminiscent of Stephen Malkmus but he carries his own distinct timber and when the music swells, so does his voice. He is able to reach high levels of emotion and intensity while still sounding in control… This is a quiet and serene listen, one that can touch people on different levels…”

Delusions of Adequacy