PRLog (Press Release) –
Dec 04, 2007 – The Australian music label, Hidden Shoal Recordings, today announced the release of the mini album Foregone Conclusion by Japanese project The Retail Sectors.
Foregone Conclusion, collects the pearls of previous Retail Sectors releases including collaborations with Si Begg, Maps and Diagrams, and Headphone Science, as well as a number of new and previously unreleased tracks.
Layering manipulated guitars, bass, drums and electronics to create compelling, melodic instrumentals, Foregone Conclusion frequently threatens to spiral out of control, yet like an exquisite train wreck holds the listener rapt. From the elegiac ‘Beauty of the Depression’ to the bit crushing Yaporigami remix of ‘The Dread’ The Retail Sectors create inventive and utterly engaging instrumental rock. Other highlights include the Maps and Diagrams remix of ‘The Decadence’ which strips the original back to bone and covers it in a firm coat of gas and dust. Headphone Science remix ‘The Longing Song’ and turn it into an utterly charming and gorgeously romantic wedding waltz for drunken robot lovers.
Foregone Conclusion also features the Si Begg remix of ‘The First Step to End the Life’, released as the first single. The track has been a favourite on Australian and US indie airwaves since its release and may be one of the catchiest, most danceable yet musically rewarding tracks of the year. The collision of Si Beggs innate sense of rhythm and feel and The Retail Sectors sonic and melodic complexity make for a track that talks to both head and feet simultaneously. This is My Bloody Valentine does electronica.
Inspired by the video game music of Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy) and the movie soundtracks of Joe Hisaishi, The Retail Sectors is one of the musical projects of the multi-talented Kentaro Togawa. Born in 1985 in Yamanashi, Japan, Kentaro has been involved in the Japanese music scene since the age of 16. He also records as The Wholesale Sectors, covering the work of Nobuo Uematsu and runs the Symbolic Interaction record label out of Japan.
Perhaps it’s because Kentaro Togawa assembles his tracks piece by piece that The Retail Sectors’ material sounds so meticulous and tight. It’s all through-composed and indulgent soloing is absent; every moment, including those in the longest tracks, feels carefully mapped out and methodically executed. - Textura review excerpt of Lifes Ironies by the Retail Sectors.
Foregone Conclusion is available now through all good digital music stores including iTunes, eMusic, Amazon as well as the labels own store.
Hidden Shoal Recordings is an Australian-based independent music label whose current catalogue includes releases that slip between the edges of experimental ambient work, shoegazing pop, post-rock and indie rock. The label has earned a reputation for releasing exciting and engaging new independent music that is not bound by genre or style.
Label Site:
http://music.hiddenshoal.com
HSR Store:
http://agora.hiddenshoal.com
