Hidden Shoal Recordings

Wes Willenbring ‘Close, But Not Too Close’ – Igloo Magazine

Jamie — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:12:10 +0000

Excerpt: “The eight tracks, driven mainly by guitar and/or piano with slight electronic tinkering, straddle a fine line between modern classical and drone. It’s very expressive music, painting ghostly images of barren wilderness and other forms of magnificent desolation… This type of music certainly encourages looking for the little things, trying to search out individual notes submerged in a sea of reverb, and Close, But Not Too Close has a lot of aural Easter eggs waiting to be discovered… less a collection of songs than it is pure mood, an audible fog that seeps from speakers to bathe home stereos in frozen moonlight.”

Igloo Magazine

Wes Willenbring’s ‘Close, But Not Too Close’ Reviewed on Igloo Magazine

Jamie — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:09:02 +0000

Wes Willenbring’s beautiful sophomore album Close, But Not Too Close received a stellar review on Igloo Magazine, his intimate minimalist style deservedly winning over their hearts. Take a read here.

Wes Willenbring – Oh Most Wes Willenbring – Oh Most

The Caribbean To Play South by South West

Jamie — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:55:57 +0000

The Caribbean are set to play at this year’s SXSW with their US label Hometapes. It’s a festival that needs no introduction, so if you’re anywhere nearby, check it out. They have two sets lined up: one at the Mohawk on Thursday 18th March (info here), and the second at the Friend Island on Saturday 20th March (info here).

The Caribbean – Color Television (Scott Solter Remix) The Caribbean – Color Television (Scott Solter Remix)

Hotels’ Single and Remixes Released – Free Download!

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:33:05 +0000

Hidden Shoal Recordings have announced the release of ‘The Heart That Hears Like A Bat’ by Seattle-based sci-fi pop band Hotels, the second single taken from their acclaimed sophomore album Where Hearts Go Broke.

‘The Heart That Hears Like A Bat’ is a song as wonderful as its title, a gorgeously shadowy piece of film noir Bond pop. Tremolo guitars and vibraphone shimmer over the inimitable Hotels rhythm section like moonlight on a swimming pool, while Blake Madden intones a pulpy tale of “young girls crying” and “young lovers dying”. It’s beautiful, effortlessly cool, and once again proves Hotels as kings of pop melody and mood.

To round out the release come remixes of two more tracks from Where Hearts Go Broke. ‘Leilani’ is remixed by original Hotels keyboard player Rich Spitzer, AKA Nite Club, who pairs the catchy synth line and vocals of the original with a drum ’n’ bass racket. Bizarre, funky and addictive. ‘Near The Desert, Near The City’ is remixed by Perth’s Justin Manzano, AKA tin Man, who has also remixed Hidden Shoal’s Apricot Rail. tin Man foregrounds the aching nuances of the original by stripping it back and laying the bare bones of the song in a shimmering bath of shoegaze drone and dubby throb.

“Hotels fuse elements of new wave, goth, and surf so seamlessly that genre tags will be the last thing on your mind when you hear their bittersweet, atmospheric pop songs” – Time Out New York

“With angular guitars, sober vocals, omnipresent synths, and a taste for the cinematic, Hotels come off like the ultimate ’80s soundtrack band, something akin to a cross between the dreamy haze of M83 and the angsty garage rock of The Strokes… Where Hearts Go Broke is an exciting, emotional record that showcases a band confident in their ability to express themselves.” – PopMatters

Download the single and remixes for free through the Hidden Shoal Store and read a full press release here.

Boxharp Charting at WNYU

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:47:00 +0000

Hot on the heels of Wes Willenbring’s KZSU chart action, yet another Hidden Shoal artist is making waves on the US college radio charts. Boxharp’s irrepressible magic in the form of the Loam Arcane EP has seen them enter the WNYU chart at number 23 nestled in with the likes of Beach House, Excepter, Joanna Newsom and Richard Skelton to name a few. Check out the chart here and the Loam Arcane EP here.

Wes Willenbring at Number 10 in the KZSU Charts

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:35:22 +0000

Wes Willenbring’s spellbinding sophomore album Close, But Not Too Close has entered the KZSU Top Ten Chart at number 10 and has scooped the top spot on the station’s Classical/Experimental Chart! Check out the charts here and check out Close, But Not Too Close here.

Mukaizake “Unknown Knowns” – Drum Media EP of the Week

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:39:51 +0000

“While listening to this, and contemplating the automobile artwork, you sit with ears and senses open, waiting for some guitar hook or divine melody to capture you and force you to hit repeat. It doesn’t come. See, it sounds like a pop release, but that’s the trick! Once you realise this you can begin appreciating Unknown Knowns for the interweaving guitars and all the space used by the drawn out arrangements as the mini-album/extended EP sublimely unfolds.”

Drum Media

Stray Ghost ‘Each Paradise Is A Lost Paradise’ – Textura

Jamie — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:57:00 +0000

Excerpt: “While the material Oxfordshire-born Anthony Saggers has thus far released has been modest in amount, there is still enough that a Stray Ghost ‘sound’ has come into focus. The two full-lengths he’s issued, 2008’s Losthilde on Highpointlowlife Records and 2009’s An Avalanche of Swollen Tongues on Dead Pilot, opt for an uncompromising dark ambient style that can make the listener feel as if he/she has been spirited away on a one-way tour through Hell—memorable recordings, for sure, but not what you’d call calm-inducing. All of which makes Each Paradise is a Lost Paradise, Saggers’ first Stray Ghost release (and digital-only release) for Hidden Shoal, such a pleasant surprise: in diametric contrast to the nightmarish ambiance of the album releases, the EP’s three settings are becalmed and beatific. In contrast to a downward trajectory, the direction is now upwards, with some heavenly paradise the implied destination.”

Textura

Boxharp ‘Loam Arcane’ – Luna Kafe

Jamie — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:55:47 +0000

Excerpt: “Now the Loam Arcane EP has finally arrived. And it gives even more than the sparkling single said. Loam Arcane EP opens brutally with the disturbed ‘FanFin’, with it’s whipping cold beats and almost frantic vocal, that still manages to be joyously vivid… Even though none of the other tracks are as sunny-winter-day-sparkling as ‘Rainbirds’, the Loam Arcane EP is still the sound of this dark and cold season. In the absolute best, and harmonic terms of understanding it.”

Luna Kafe

City Of Satellites ‘Machine Is My Animal’ – Textura

Jamie — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:54:49 +0000

Excerpt: “What elevates City Of Satellites’ dream pop above others’ takes on the style is the urgency driving the nine songs on Machine Is My Animal, the group’s follow-up to its debut EP The Spook… Though the group includes only two members, Adelaide resident Jarrod Manuel (vocals, guitars, synthesizers) and Sydney-based Thomas Diakomichalis (drums, synthesizers, programming), Machine Is My Animal nevertheless comes off sounding like songs played by a live band… Listening to the album, it quickly becomes clear that shoegaze is an obvious wellspring for the group, but one also hears traces of both ’80s synth-pop (OMD, for example) and New Wave in City Of Satellites’ pristine, analogue sound.”

Textura

Mukaizake ‘Unknown Knowns’ Feature on Mess & Noise

Jamie — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:53:26 +0000

Excerpt: “Being spread across three different states isn’t the most productive way to keep the band going. We always had in the back of our mind that we’d release those tracks that we’d recorded. But with Dan and I living away it was too hard to get into a position where we could finish it off and release it… Now we’re only dealing with two states in Australia instead of three, so it’s easy for us to fly Dan back for a show… It was actually quite nice revisiting the tracks that long after it. A lot of things came a long way in the mixing. We did a bit more production and got a bit more creative with how we approached them… No additional recording was done to finish the songs. Everything you hear on Unknown Knowns was recorded in 2004 and mixed in late 2009. The main thing that changed in the mixing of the record was that we took a lot out. We were one of those bands where everyone was playing all the time, and part of coming back and revisiting the record was, ‘Do we really need that part going for the whole song? Is it better pulling out some of those those bits, creating a bit more space?’”

Mess & Noise

City Of Satellites Reviewed on Textura

Jamie — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:51:11 +0000

City Of Satellites’ debut album Machine Is My Animal has been reviewed on this month’s Textura, where it is described as a captivating mix of shoegazer and ’80s synth-pop. Pique your interest? Have a listen below, or to stream the album in full, visit here.

City Of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction City Of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction

Stray Ghost’s ‘Each Paradise, Is A Lost Paradise’ Reviewed on Textura

Jamie — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:44:40 +0000

Stray Ghost, renowned for the droning ambient demonstrated on stunning new album Nothing, But Death, has received the attention of Textura this month for his recent EP Each Paradise Is A Lost Paradise. Have a read here, or have a listen below.

Stray Ghost – Au Revoir a la Belle Samaine Stray Ghost – Au Revoir a la Belle Samaine

Boxharp’s ‘Loam Arcane’ Reviewed on Luna Kafe

Jamie — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:39:21 +0000

Following up on their review of ‘Rainbirds’ a few months ago, Luna Kafe have again sampled the delights of Boxharp, with a review of their full EP Loam Arcane published this month. Take a moment to have a read here.

Boxharp – Rainbirds Boxharp Rainbirds

Sankt Otten Vinyl

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:28:22 +0000

Sankt Otten fans will be excited to hear that the band’s stunning recent album Morgen wieder lustig is now available on vinyl in beautiful custom packaging via the excellent German label Denovali. Head to the Denovali Mailorder store now to pick yourself up a copy or if you’re after a CD or digital version of the album head to the HSR Store for all availability info.

Sankt Otten – Lustig, lustig, demain encore lustig Sankt Otten – Lustig, lustig, demain encore lustig

The Slow Beings at Amplifier This Friday

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:46:09 +0000

The Slow Beings’ fans rejoice! The boys will grace the boards again this Friday night (5th, March) at Amplifier in support of Perth’s wonderful Capital City. Also playin on the night will be Datura and Stoney Joe. Be sure to get down early to catch the musical masterminds behind We Know Why The Earth Moves – doors open at 8:30.

The Slow Beings – Nil By Rote The Slow Beings – Nil By Rote

Stray Ghost’s “Nothing, But Death” Released

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:15:46 +0000

Hidden Shoal Recordings have announced the release of Nothing, But Death, the new album from English ambient drone architect Stray Ghost.

Nothing, But Death is the epic full-length reply to Stray Ghost’s widely acclaimed 2008 album Losthilde. On this immersive new release, Anthony Saggers mines the rich depths of melancholy and longing, crafting a slow, sad drift of distant melodies, cloaked in smoky ambience. The album signals further development in Saggers’ masterful handling of drone, minimalism, shoegaze, ambient and electro-acoustic music, leading the listener through highly emotive soundscapes, rich in cinematic sound design. This is music of almost unbearable poignancy and colossal scope that rewards deep listening.

True to its song titles, comprising ‘Part 1’ through to ‘Part 8’, including the single ‘Part 4’, Nothing, But Death is a complete yet perpetually shifting experience, taking the listener through half-remembered landscapes with slow, descending lump-in-the-throat melodies. Each rise and fall feels like a slow-motion chapter in some narcoleptic romance. And while the album is melodically rich, it never compromises its larger ideals and its over-arching sense of movement.

“Things just sort of came to a standstill when I began listening to Stray Ghost’s three-piece offering, Each Paradise Is A Lost Paradise. Anthony Staggers’ work will set you floating, relaxed and completely trusting, in the deeper waters of his slow, hushed drifts and dimly described environments…. Nothing is wasted here; every sound, musical or otherwise, is crucial and placed just so—and the attention to detail shows in how well the music stands up to a deep listen.” – Hypnagogue on the Each Paradise is a Lost Paradise EP

Nothing, But Death is available in CD and digital format through Hidden Shoal Recordings. Head to the Hidden Shoal Store for all CD and digital distribution info.

Stray Ghost – Part 4 Stray Ghost – Part 4

Label Feature at Igloo Magazine

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:47:40 +0000

Check out the wonderful label feature at the always excellent Igloo Magazine where you’ll find Q&A’s with some very cool labels such as Ad Noiseam, Herb, Highpoint Lowlife, n5MD and of course Hidden Shoal. Read the piece in full here.

Mukaizake Feature at Mess+Noise

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:58:21 +0000

Head over to the excellent Australian music zine Mess+Noise and read the feature article on our very own Mukaizake. M+N’s Adam Mills caught up with Simon Struthers from the band for a bit of Q+A. Great read, great band – what else do you want? Oh yeh their latest mini album Unknown Knowns. Deprive yourself no more at the Hidden Shoal Store.

Mukaizake – Slack Bees Mukaizake – Slack Bees

Hotels ‘Night of Electric Dreams’ on 4th March

Jamie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:02:35 +0000

Hotels are performing again come 4th March for Night of Electric Dreams at The Crocodile with CMYK and Fascination Movement. You can check out the full event profile here, or purchase tickets direct here. And remember, this will be one of your last opportunities to catch Max Wood behind the Hotels drum kit.

Hotels – Hydra Hotels – Hydra

Sankt Otten ‘Morgen wieder Lustig’ – Shallgrenzen

Jamie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:59:21 +0000

Excerpt [translated from the German]: “Music for films that have yet to be filmed… With keyboards, samples and guitar, Sankt Otten have created impressive new sonic territory. Between elegiac electro-pop, playful and cuddly electric-jazz and ambient slumber songs, this album inhabits the post-rock universe but with classic song structures… You will not be rocked – more relaxed couch surfing with closed eyes.”

Shallgrenzen

Sankt Otten Reviewed on Shallgrenzen

Jamie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:55:19 +0000

Sankt Otten’s fourth major release with Hidden Shoal, Morgen wieder lustig, was reviewed on German music blog Shallgrenzen last week. Those readers not so adept at reading German can read a translated excerpt in our reviews section, here.

Sankt Otten – Lustig, lustig, demain encore lustig Sankt Otten Lustig, lustig, demain encore lustig

Boxharp ‘Loam Arcane’ – Music Musings and Miscellanary

Jamie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:53:15 +0000

Excerpt: “Wendy Allen and Scott Solter are the duo behind quirky ambient pop act Boxharp. The Loam Arcane EP is my first experience of the pair’s odd, but compelling soundworld… Loam Arcane is a sweet little EP that shows that experimental pop needn’t sacrifice the pop element to be interesting and original. Unlike Little Roux, Florence Boots and their ilk, it shows there’s more to electronic pop than silly haircuts and rehashed eighties synth sounds.”

Music Musings and Miscellanary

Boxharp EP Reviewed on Music Musings and Miscellanary

Jamie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:49:41 +0000

Boxharp’s Loam Arcane EP was reviewed on Music Musings and Miscellanary last week. Loam Arcane proves that music can both be experimental and pop, and has just been released. Take a read of the review here.

Boxharp – Rainbirds Boxharp – Rainbirds

Hotels Need A Drummer!

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:33:22 +0000

Yes it’s true, the stick wielding genius that is Max Wood will very soon be walking off stage with Hotels for the last time. Anyone familiar with Where Hearts Go Broke will know that these are big boots to fill, yet filled they must be. If you live in the Seattle area and think you might be able to make those skins sing then check out all the details on Hotels’ Myspace blog and get in contact with the band.

In other Hotels news ‘The Heart That Hears Like A Bat’, the second single taken from Where Hearts Go Broke, will be released and available for free download on the 11th of March. The single package also features remixes of ‘Leilani’ and ‘Near The Desert, Near The City’ by Nite Club and tin Man.

Boxharp’s “Loam Arcane” Released

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:02:32 +0000

Hidden Shoal Recordings have announced the release of Loam Arcane, the new EP by American ambient experimental pop duo Boxharp.

Loam Arcane is an EP of two mesmerising halves. The hallucinogenic pop of the first half springs to vivid life with opener ‘FanFin’, which ricochets with disorientating beats and refracted vocal melodies as if some sort of life-sized zoetrope. Sparkling single ‘Rainbirds’ follows, interweaving ambient textures with Wendy Allen’s pure vocals, giving way to a transcendent harmonised middle eight. The melodies return, crested by sparkling, wavering tones – and then it’s over.

In the second, more abstract and haunting, half of the EP, the stunning ‘The Postcard’ slowly dissolves the floor from under your feet. The track plays out like a consoling friend who turns into gas just as you need them most. And finale ‘Who Are Your People (South Shoal)’ is a glorious marriage of rhythmic bark, distant ghosted fauna and warm, flowing synths – slow motion tribal music for electric ghosts.

The band was recently featured on David Bowie’s official website after previously being chosen by Bowie in an article in British newspaper The Guardian as one of his current favourite artists – high and just praise indeed!

The Loam Arcane EP is an exclusive digital-only release through Hidden Shoal Recordings. The EP will be available in all digital formats (including lossless) via the Hidden Shoal Store and all good online stores such as iTunes, eMusic, LaLa, Bandcamp and Amazon. Boxharp’s forthcoming album The Green is released on 4th May 2010, preceded by a single on 25th March 2010.

Boxharp – Rainbirds Boxharp – Rainbirds

Wes Willenbring DOA Article

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:07:03 +0000

Check out the latest installment of DOA’s excellent Artists on Albums feature where you’ll find our very own Wes Willenbring waxing lyrical about Vince Gallo’s stunning album When.

Willenbring’s recent full length Close, But Not Too Close is out now through Hidden Shoal Recordings. Preview in full and purchase at the Hidden Shoal Store.

Hidden Shoal Label Feature at Breakthru Radio

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:28:17 +0000

Check out the latest edition of the wonderful Inside The Label show at New York’s awesome Breakthru Radio (home of the mighty DJ Mojo!). The show features an hour of tracks selected from across the Hidden Shoal catalogue. Lurvly!

Mukaizake ‘Unkown Knowns’ – Mess and Noise

Jamie — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:20:34 +0000

Excerpt: “Unknown Knowns seems blissfully unaware of the anticipation that surrounds it; Mukaizake sound like a band that don’t feel they have anything to prove, whose humble goal is nothing more than to write and record the best possible songs they can, expectations be damned. Unknown Knowns more than lives up to the promise of its predecessor. These six songs are everything the band’s patient fans could have asked for, as well as being strong enough to introduce Mukaizake to a whole new audience.”

Mess and Noise

Mukaizake’s ‘Unknown Knowns’ Reviewed on Mess and Noise

Jamie — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:12:11 +0000

More praise late last week for Mukaizake on Mess and Noise. Six years they lay dormant, though they have more than managed to live up to expectations, and then some, with their new mini-album Unknown Knowns.

Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker

Boxharp ‘Rainbirds’ – Luna Kafe

Jamie — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:09:29 +0000

Excerpt: “The first thought that comes to mind listening to ‘Rainbirds’ is the joys of winter and Christmas bells. The sound is sparkling pure, like dancing snowflakes on a beautiful cold and sun touched winter’s day.”

Luna Kafe

Boxharp’s ‘Rainbirds’ Reviewed on Luna Kafe

Jamie — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:08:19 +0000

Overlooked, but a darling review from Luna Kafe, for Boxharp’s single ‘Rainbirds’ in anticipation of the release of their Loam Arcane EP later this year. Watch this space! And have a read here.

Boxharp – Rainbirds Boxharp – Rainbirds

City of Satellites ‘Machine Is My Animal’ – Delusions of Adequacy

Jamie — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:53:48 +0000

Excerpt: “On first listen, the 9 tracks play like one long trip through a colorful cosmic cloud with a dreamy, mysterious flow and a lush underbelly of celestial sounds. But over time, the songs distinguish themselves with swirling layers of enveloping orchestral harmonies and shooting stars of guitar bursts and cymbal crashes that add brilliant flairs of vaporous and heavenly ambience.”

Adequacy

City of Satellites Album Reviewed on Delusions of Adequacy

Jamie — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:52:42 +0000

Another stunning review for City of Satellites‘ debut album Machine Is My Animal, this time by Delusions of Adequacy, released earlier this year. Have a read here.

City of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction City of Satellites – Stranger Then Fiction

The Caribbean Interviewed on Blisspop

Jamie — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:32:41 +0000

Last week our very own The Caribbean were interviewed on Bisspop, which is well worth the read, which you can do here. Back in 2008, some of The Caribbean’s tracks off Populations were sent to Scott Solter (Boxharp) to be chopped, changed and all together remixed, which we then released. Take a listen below.

The Caribbean (Remixed by Scott Solter) – Colour Television The Caribbean (Remixed by Scott Solter) – Colour Television

Hidden Shoal – The Band Next Door

Jamie — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:31:06 +0000

Excerpt: “I decided to focus a little on a few bands from a great label I discovered basically out of nowhere mid last year called Hidden Shoal Recordings. The guys behind the label have released some evocative and eclectic music since 2006 in actual fact and have quite a breadth of a catalogue behind them. The four guys behind the label – Cam Merton, Stuart Medley, Malcolm Riddoch and Tim Clarke – have worked hard to release not only bands who hail from here in Australia, but some real great (sometimes obscure) beauties from overseas that span a lot of genres.”

The Band Next Door

My Majestic Star ‘I Haven’t Got It In Me’ – Shallgrenzen

Jamie — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:29:28 +0000

Excerpt (translated from the German): “A majestic, long-drawn sound, swelling, soft-onset synthetic drums, a seemingly endless organ sound. I Haven’t Got It In Me begins with an 8-minute dream of clouds… Voluptuous walls of guitars, melodic and dramatic landscapes and spherical sound effects of any kind achieve the goal of harmony and well-tempered satisfaction with the listener.”

Shallgrenzen

My Majestic Star’s ‘I Haven’t Got It In Me’ Reviewed on Shallgrenzen

Jamie — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:26:24 +0000

My Majestic Star’s beautiful third album I Haven’t Got It In Me was reviewed on German music blog Shallgrenzen the other week. We’ve done our best to translate it, and you can take a read of the ‘abridged’ version in My Majestic Star’s reviews section.

My Majestic Star – Crampling My Majestic Star – Crampling

Boxharp Featured on David Bowie’s Official Website

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:39:30 +0000

Following on from their inclusion in David Bowie’s list of current favourites (see ‘What’s On David Bowie’s Ipod’ in The Guardian), Boxharp once again find themselves in the great man’s spotlight. The band have now been featured on David Bowie’s official website showcasing both the track that featured on Bowie’s Ipod, ‘All These Deserters’, as well as their latest single ‘Rainbirds‘. Check out the feature at davidbowie.com.

All this comes ahead of the release of Boxharp’s stunning new EP Loam Arcane which is available on the 25th of February. Fans can freely download the first single taken from the EP, ‘Rainbirds’, at the Hidden Shoal Store. Fans can also stream a sneak peak of the new EP before it’s release at Boxharp’s Facebook Page.

Hotels Live at Dancing on the Valentine this Saturday Night

Jamie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:57:03 +0000

Hotels will be performing this Saturday night (Feb 13th) at Dancing on the Valentine, an annual benefit concert for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Take a peek at this year’s event here. Doors open 8pm.

Hotels – Hydra Hotels – Hydra

City of Satellites ‘Machine Is My Animal’ – The Band Next Door

Jamie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:54:09 +0000

Excerpt: “City of Satellites creates pleasant, nostalgic and shoe-gaze derived pop that is like a mid-afternoon reverie… the album is a grower and sneaks up quietly on the listener, channelling the 1980s in a manner reminiscent of M83’s most recent work. Unlike M83, City of Satellites adopts an aesthetic that is more 4AD and less John Hughes, as evidenced by the album’s cover.”

The Band Next Door

City of Satellites ‘Machine Is My Animal’ – Drum Media

Jamie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:52:27 +0000

Excerpt: “City of Satellites have crafted an album filled with dense space and fueled by vintage synthesizers and melodically rich vocals…. the production values on the record rival that of heavyweights M83 and Aphex Twin.”

Drum Media

City of Satellites ‘Machine Is My Animal’ – [sic] Magazine

Jamie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:51:00 +0000

Excerpt: “This is the 21st Century – ten years in. Except City Of Satellites don’t inhabit our today. They inhabit the 21st Century we foresaw back in the past – all robotics, ray-guns and flying machines. The Tomorrow’s World of our youth. Or maybe there are parallel universes? Maybe somewhere, in an alternate reality, Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode by falling through a wormhole into a Sky Captain meets Farscape Universe and formed Yazoo with the alien creature he met there.”

[sic] Magazine

City of Satellites ‘Machine Is My Animal’ – Luna Kafe

Jamie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:49:33 +0000

Excerpt: “It is difficult to know exactly how the physical distance between the two band members has influenced Machine Is My Animal. But I would think it is plausible to say that it is responsible for some of the distant emotion that is so very present in most of the tracks on this pretty shoegazing, electronic pop album. Machine Is My Animal moves in a retro sci-fi, synth-shaped soundscape, from the opener ‘BMX’ with it’s dreamy flirt with 80s, through the laid-back close-to-post-rock pieces ‘Victor! Burn City Lights’ and ‘Willje Sleep’ to the closing with the ethereal ‘Sky Rider’.”

Luna Kafe

More Reviews of ‘Machine Is My Animal’ by City of Satellites

Jamie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:48:23 +0000

City of Satellites’ debut album Machine Is My Animal has been receiving some attention over the past month, and rightfully so! Of late they have been reviewed on Luna Kafe, Drum Media, The Band Next Door and [sic] Magazine, with their music being described as everything from sci-fi rock to dream-pop, shoegazer and electronic-pop, reminiscent of the likes of M83.

Their single Stranger Than Fiction is available here for free.

City of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction City of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction

Stray Ghost ‘Part 4′ – Luna Kafe

Jamie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:43:37 +0000

Excerpt: “an elegant track within its repetitive minimalism. It’s sort of catchy in the most unexplainable way. Well-worth checking out.”

Luna Kafe

Stray Ghost Reviewed on Luna Kafe

Jamie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:42:35 +0000

Luna Kafe paused a moment last month and listened to Stray Ghost’s newest single ‘Part 4′ from his forthcoming album Nothing, But Death, due in March. Take a read here, or have a listen yourself below.

Stray Ghost – Part 4 Stray Ghost – Part 4

Apricot Rail – 78 Records

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:49:30 +0000

Apricot Rail’s self titled release was named as the second best release of 2009 by 78 Records in Perth.

Apricot Rail Scoops 78 Records Second Best Release of 2009

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:47:51 +0000

The magical awesomeness that is the 78 Records store in Perth recently named its top 5 releases of 2009 and our very own Apricot Rail found themselves sitting pretty at number 2, nestled between Isis and Grizzly Bear (mmm comfy!). Also in the list was the ever wonderful Umpire at number 5 who feature 3 members of our very own Mukaizake.

Check out the list at the 78 Records website and while you’re there buy an album or two.

City of Satellites on FBI’s ‘Local Fidelity’

Jamie — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:26:10 +0000

City of Satellites were interviewed last month by Leigh Tran of FBI’s wonderful Australian music show ‘Local Fidelity‘. The band talk about all things musical in the wake of their new album Machine Is My Animal. Take a full read here.

City of Satellites – BMX City of Satellites – BMX