American folk-pop deconstructionists The Caribbean have teamed up with engineer, producer, mixologist Scott Solter (Spoon, Okkervil River, The Mountain Goats) and Hidden Shoal to bring you Scott Solter Re-Populates The Caribbean. The EP consists of five tracks from The Caribbean’s 2007 Hometapes record Populations which were sent to Solter to deconstruct, warp, and otherwise obliterate. The result is a set of dizzying curve balls that split the difference between glistening songcraft and complete re-construction.

“You’re forced to occupy their barren pop architecture.... You don’t understand it, but, though you might not admit it, you do hope it will understand you. Or at least not destroy you...” – Pitchfork on The Caribbean



Scott Solter Re-Populates The Caribbean is now available in mp3 format from the Hidden Shoal Store and all good third-party digital music stores, and in CD format distributed through n5Mailorder.

Head here to stream the album in full and here to read the press release.

Hotels' amazing new album Where Hearts Go Broke is currently riding high at number 11 in the main KEXP radio chart and number 1 in the KEXP Northwest chart. Hot bananas!

Tune into OPB Radio tomorrow afternoon, April 2nd, to hear an interview and studio session with the band. Then, that evening they're playing live at Doug Fir with Hidden Shoal labelmates and avant-pop maestros Iretsu. Not to be missed!

In support of the recent release of their superb new album Soundcheck For A Missing Movie, HC-B are playing live around Italy throughout April. Check their MySpace page for details.

For anyone who has witnessed the blinding pop brilliance that is Hotels live then you'll be reaching for your diaries about now to engrave these dates. The band will be showering audiences with gems from their rightfully lauded Where Hearts Go Broke For those who have already diarised please note there has been some shifts, cancellations, things falling through, and new things coming up. Here's the up to date schedule:

FRIDAY 3/6 - BOB'S JAVA JIVE - TACOMA, WA
WEDNESDAY 3/11 - THE ROCKIT ROOM - SAN FRANCISCO, CA
THURSDAY 3/12 - R5 RECORDS - SACRAMENTO, CA
THURSDAY 3/12 - KDVS IN STUDIO A (RADIO) - DAVIS, CA
FRIDAY 3/13 - DOWNTOWN 81 @ SILVER FACTORY STUDIOS - LA, CA
SATURDAY 3/14 - THE DAKOTA LOUNGE - SANTA MONICA, CA
FRIDAY 3/20 - EASY STREET RECORDS - WEST SEATTLE, WA
THURSDAY 4/2 - OREGON PUBLIC RADIO IN STUDIO - PORTLAND, OR
THURSDAY 4/2 - THE DOUG FIR- PORTLAND, OR
THURSDAY 5/7 - KEXP IN STUDIO - SEATTLE, WA
THURSDAY 5/7 - CHOP SUEY - SEATTLE, WA

Hidden Shoal Recordings today announced the release of sophomore album Where Hearts Go Broke by Seattle-based sci-fi pop band Hotels.

From the opening salvo of single ‘Hydra’ to glorious finale ‘Flight Of The Navigator’, Where Hearts Go Broke takes the listener on a thrilling musical journey through airports, streets, bars and, yes, hotels, populated with people falling in and out of love, lost in the gutter but always looking to the stars. This is the most relentlessly paced, hauntingly melodic, damn catchy pop music you’ve never heard, each song an end credit for the weary traveller or the romantic dancer; a tune you should listen to just before you die.

“The collision of new-wave and dream-pop dynamics will have the pleasure endorphins accelerating up your spine towards your brain in no time… smart, succinct, sassy and just that little bit special” – [sic]

“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

Where Hearts Go Broke is now available on CD through n5Mailorder, the distribution arm of n5MD, and digitally from the HSR Store and all good digital music stores such as iTunes, eMusic and Amazon. Check the HSR Store for all availability and distribution information. Read the full press release here.

Seattle folk can also catch Hotels playing the 4th annual Dancing on the Valentines benefit gig on the day of the release. Check the Hotels Myspace for details.

Hidden Shoal Recordings today announced the release of ‘Hydra’ by Seattle-based sci-fi pop band Hotels, the first single taken from their forthcoming sophomore album Where Hearts Go Broke.

‘Hydra’ is the winning opening salvo on an album crammed with impossibly catchy pop music, and the perfect introduction to Hotels’ addictive sound. Crisp, propulsive drumming and beautifully melodic bass playing are buoyed up by sizzling synths and chiming guitars, with Blake Madden’s vocal lines the icing on this delicious, hook-heavy cake.

With inimitable charm, the song tells of a doomed romance on a Greek isle, pulled off with the kind of verve and panache that only a band like Hotels could muster. Sophisticated yet accessible, ‘Hydra’ whets the appetite for Where Hearts Go Broke’s endlessly replayable pop genius.

“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

‘Hydra’ is available for free download from the HSR Store until the release of Hotels’ new album, Where Hearts Go Broke, on Valentine’s Day 2009. Read a full press release here.

Hidden Shoal Recordings today announced the release of East-West Section, the fourth volume in the label’s free sampler album series, compiling tracks from recently released albums and EPs.

East-West Section is like a knife with ears – an audible slice through Hidden Shoal’s 2008 releases. But no blood! We’ve stitched these killer tracks into a brand new tapestry… From the delicate ambient murmur of RL/VL to the avant-pop mastery of Iretsu; the lush lounge-jazz of Rich Bennett to the sublime ambient rock of City Of Satellites; the charming electro-pop of Ghost In The Water to the addictive indie-rock of Fall Electric and The Slow Beings; and acclaimed Hidden Shoal mainstays My Majestic Star, Sankt Otten and Slow Dancing Society. This is an irresistible showcase of the breadth and depth of the Hidden Shoal catalogue.

“Hidden Shoal Recordings is on a mission. The Australian label is busy enhancing minds, widening musical consciousness, opening ears, and taking us beyond the sometimes all too comfortably familiar” – Blogcritics

“a gripping, adventurous and touching journey across their catalogue of ambient, shoegaze, post-rock and indie-rock releases. The perfect introduction for the artists and bands, or alternatively, the perfect sampler for those who cannot decide which of these fantastic bands to pay attention to at the moment” – Post Rock Community review of Limit Of Maps, volume 3 in the free sampler album series

East-West Section is now available for free digital download from the HSR Store. Read a full press release here.

Just a reminder about the availability of the Hidden Shoal catalog through Amazon MP3. All the latest releases as well as the entire back catalogue await your hungry ears.

Remember if you are still here, you're not there.

Best,
The HSR Team

Hidden Shoal Recordings today announced the release of the single ‘Faithless Friend’ by Perth-based compelled acoustic spacemakers Fall Electric. ‘Faithless Friend’ sees Fall Electric in full rock mode. Edgy, overdriven acoustic guitar is lent friction and gravity coupled with cello stabs and bows, woven around urgent, tumbling drums, with Andrew Ryan’s compelling refrain, “Do you think the warmonger was a happy kid?” spilling across the top. The song canters and bucks frenetically before fading away in a wry homage to the Nirvana classic ‘Something In The Way’.

The single also includes the bonus track ‘Sir Sun Shines Strong’, an introspective flipside, brooding and building slowly with its sparse yet expansive air. The track exudes a blend of dashed hope married to unending devotion, until the cello musters an aching scream into the void. This is acoustic folk noir for wide-open spaces.

'Faithless Friend' is the first single to be lifted from Fall Electric's upcoming debut album Measure And Step, out on November 11th 2008. The album was recorded with Casey Rice, who has worked with the likes of Dirty Three, Tortoise and Stereolab.

The single and bonus b-side are now available for free download from the HSR Store until the release of the album. A full press release is available here.

My Majestic Star's addictive and immersive new album Too Late, The Day has just been reviewed on the Racket Scan blog. Visit Racket Scan (Imeem disallows a link to blogspot sites it seems so you'll have to Google it - sorry!) to read the review in full, or go to MMS's reviews section to read an excerpt. The album is available on CD through Tonevendor, and on CD and mp3 from the HSR Store.