Hidden Shoal Recordings » The Slow Beings 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

The Slow Beings “We Know Why The Earth Moves” – PopMatters

tim — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:56:29 +0000

Excerpt: “Although not as heavy or metal-leaning as Black Mountain, there’s a certain stoner pop feeling on the opener ‘I Waste the Sea’ with more muscle and brawn tossed in halfway through. Meanwhile, the airy, spacey ‘People Leave Heaven’ also shines quite nicely with its subtle nod to The Smiths. Perhaps the first real highlight is the strong, powerful nugget ‘Nil By Rote’. The band’s knack for crafting brilliant melodies is also apparent on ‘Yoshkar-ola Song’… the record returns to life with a delicate but delicious title track, resembling Explosions In the Sky.”

PopMatters

The Slow Beings “We Know Why The Earth Moves” – Ondarock

tim — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:56:36 +0000

Excerpt (translated from the Italian): “This disc is ten songs of indie-rock, vaguely Pavement-y in the more abrasive moments, softened with arpeggios… The long title track is the missing link between post-rock and psychedelia…. a perfect listen for the summer months.”

Ondarock

The Slow Beings “We Know Why The Earth Moves” – FasterLouder

tim — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:52:09 +0000

Excerpt: “Like many of WA’s indie rock bands, the emphasis in The Slow Beings’ sound is on melody and beauty rather than heavy rock and glitz, like the Shins and the Panics before them… The high point of the album, and the song everyone raves about, is ‘I Waste The Sea’. Its mash of Weezer-style rock and nonsensical lyrics nods to At The Drive-In, before becoming psychedelic half-way through… We Know Why The Earth Moves… will please those who like indie pop-rock blends without the electro-frills that have adorned much of the scene lately. It dishes up folk and garage in just-palatable sized pieces.”

FasterLouder

The Slow Beings “We Know Why The Earth Moves” – Delusions of Adequacy

tim — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:56:27 +0000

Excerpt: “The Slow Beings are a fresh, new outfit from Australia. Their blend of pop, rock and fuzzy, funny punk is a nice change of pace that allows their music to soothe over you. With their debut, We Know Why the Earth Moves, they have accomplished a modest task: make an album that has equal parts indie and rock, that doesn’t sound cliché or bland… The Slow Beings are the kind of band that could break through onto the mainstream. They already control the hooks, melodies and riffs to compete with anyone. It’s a surprise that this album hasn’t been getting more attention because We Know Why the Earth Moves is a great listen. These Australian cats know how to make catchy music that works in many different ways and I only hope they continue to improve from here.”Delusions of Adequacy

The Slow Beings “We Know Why The Earth Moves” – Drum Media (Perth)

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:32:05 +0000

Excerpt – “The hugely experienced songwriting duo of Craig Hallsworth (The Bamboos, The Healers) and Liam Coffey (The Rainyard, Header) brings influences from both sides of the Atlantic to the table, making the chiming, country-tinged guitars, Blur-ish vocals and rock-riffs of ‘Carson Dyle’ a possibility and more importantly, a beautifully cohesive reality…Add the accomplished musicianship of these Perth-music veterans, and it’s hardly surprising the album, for the most part, ‘blurs’ its influences into forms both fresh and timeless.”

Drum Media (Perth)

The Slow Beings “We Know Why The Earth Moves” – Luna Kafe

tim — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:37:09 +0000

Excerpt: “Last month I raved about The Slow Beings’ single choice from this album, ‘I Waste The Sea’… We Know Why The Earth Moves’s opening track still is a nice song, but is now stretched out into a 6-minute-piece – twice its single edit length. It’s a cool opener… The neatly titled We Know Why The Earth Moves holds 10 songs of sparkling indie pop/rock. Magnificent and grand, yet down to earth in sound and attitude. A fine combination of tip-toe and slack… ‘Yoshkar-ola Song’, ‘People Leave Heaven’, ‘Carson Dyle’, ‘The Happy Few’ and the title track are among many fine moments from a strong debut.”

Luna Kafe

The Slow Beings ‘I Waste The Sea’ – Luna Kafe

tim — Wed, 28 May 2008 04:38:21 +0000

Excerpt: “the toughest music I’ve heard from the Hidden Shoal label so far… In ‘I Waste The Sea’’s rear window there’s both grunge (Nirvana) and Britpop (Blur), and maybe also traces from New Zealand’s 1980s Kiwi pop scene. It’s a powerful song with a nice pop hook… makes me excited to hear what’s to come.”

Luna Kafe

The Slow Beings ‘I Waste The Sea’ – Rave Magazine

tim — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:11:25 +0000

Excerpt: “With a debt to the softly intense sound of Nirvana’s Unplugged record – and who thought a forcefully creative band would ever owe anything to MTV – Perth’s The Slow Beings reveal to us their interesting debut single… different enough to most everything else on the edgy side of radio, but without building to a true climax, possibly easy to overlook.”

Rave Magazine