Hidden Shoal Recordings » Toby Richardson Reviews

Toby Richardson ‘King of all the Moves’ – The Dwarf

Jamie — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:12:20 +0000

Excerpt: “Perth-based act Toby Richardson has given us a rootsy, upbeat and light song intended to get you dancing. It is definitely a good effort with reliable funk rhythms, but a little cluttered and the literal intentions give it a cheesy, overbearing quality. The second bridge solos are forced and under played by the continuing rhythm sucking away the tepid cohesion of the song thus far. What’s more, the guitar is not impressive enough to stand up like it does. Ultimately, ’King of all the Moves’ is a childishly simple and repetitive song which does not truthfully go anywhere, but it will likely make you move a little bit, whether or not you want to, is the question.”

The Dwarf

Toby Richardson ‘The Stones and the Rabbits’ – Pennsylvania Daily News

Jamie — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:43:35 +0000

Excerpt: “Australian lo-fi rocker Toby Richardson made a minor splash a couple years ago with his Evergreen full-length solo debut, and he’s back with a rock-solid new EP that features more of the psychedelia-tinged music that fans have come to expect from him. This five-song platter contains plenty of fuzzy guitars and raw blues-rock that would have been right at home in the late 1960s. Sprawling opener ‘Young Sweet Lovers’ is the centerpiece of the collection, and the best song of the bunch. ‘Wrong Highway Road,’ another tune that stretches out well beyond the five-minute mark, is a keeper, along with the title track … this is an impressive set”

The Daily News

Toby Richardson ‘King of all the Moves’ – Losing Today

Jamie — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 05:29:59 +0000

Excerpt: “Toby Richardson ‘king of all the moves’ (hidden shoal) Been ages since we’ve featured anything by the Aussie imprint Hidden Shoal – seems we’ve taken our eye somewhat off the ball – so be warned there will be the (more than frequent) occasional mentions over the course of the next few missives starting with this their latest release the slated for December outing ‘the stones and the rabbits’ EP by Toby Richardson from which (this available as a free download cut) ’king of all the moves’ is culled. It marks a step aside from the usual mellowed electro ambiance to which hidden shoal set their trade, this little gem arrives somewhat disheveled and scuffed, the skewed melodic terrains point to a power pop prowess scratched and splintered by a disorientating off kilter soft psyche hue brought to bear courtesy of a clipped corkscrewing ’piper-esque’ motif which all gathered together in one brief sitting sounds not unlike a chemically toned meeting of Kevin Tihista and Chris Stamey types swapping notes with Robyn Hitchcock. Needless to say this won’t be the last time you’ll be hearing about Toby Richardson in these skewiff ramblings.”

Losing Today

Toby Richardson ‘King of all the Moves’ – Heave Media

Jamie — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 02:55:18 +0000

Excerpt: “There is a certain lightheartedness and charm that goes into “lo-fi” rock. So what happens when you take that charm and add a tinge of a dirty psychedelic sound that sounds like it’s coming out of the 70s? You get Toby Richardson, an Australian who is hellbent on delivering a fuzzed out sound coupled with a folky demeanor.”

Heave Media

‘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

Toby Richardson “Evergreen” – Luna Kafe

tim — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:50:35 +0000

Excerpt: “Richardson is sort of a Robert Pollard-styled musician, but here’s also glimpses of J Mascis’ guitar sound. Musically Evergreen is psychedelic, lo-fi, indie-rock, with a touch of late 1960s/early 1970s fuzzed and dirty psychedelic blues-rock. Jimi Hendrix comes to mind. Beefheart is mentioned in the press sheets. Along with Sebadoh, Pavement, and the aforementioned Pollard and Mascis, this makes sort of a schizophrenic mixture. But, it’s for sure an exciting blend.”

Luna Kafe

Toby Richardson “Evergreen” – It’s Not The Band I Hate It’s Their Fans

tim — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 06:21:24 +0000

Excerpt: “I’m surprised that more people haven’t been talking about Toby Richardson. Take some of the bluesy aspects of Captain Beefheart and mix it with some ’90s college rock sensibilities and you’ve got the Toby Richardson sound. Fuzzed-out lo-fi classic rock is the order of the day, and Toby pulls off this slight ’60s pastiche with panache… By the time you reach the last song, it’s hard not to feel slightly overwhelmed as it is such an exaggerated sound, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t want to simply take a break, and start over again, as its exaggeration is laced with an addictive quality that will have you coming back for more.”

It’s Not The Band I Hate It’s Their Fans

Toby Richardson – ‘Booragoon Lagoon’

tim — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:08:39 +0000

“Toby Richardson used to raise hell in Perth with Mustang! back in the early to mid-nineties. It was raised eyebrow drone-grunge-punk kind of music, but this single finds Richardson in a psychedelic mood. There’s a ’60s ambience but it also recalls something of late ’90s outfit, The Makeup. Either way it’s infectious and augurs well for his full-length album due in 2008.”

Xpress

Toby Richardson Chosen as Artist of the Week By Australian Music Online

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 06:57:57 +0000

Coinciding with the release of his first EP on Hidden Shoal Recordings, Toby Richardson was chosen as an artist of the week by Australian Music Online (http://www.amo.org.au) this week. Toby’s EP “Golden Days” is available now from the HSR Store and in Itunes stores globally.