Boxharp's "Loam Arcane" Released

Feb. 25, 2010 - PRLog -- North Carolina, USA; Perth, Western Australia. Hidden Shoal Recordings today announced the release of the Loam Arcane 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.

“sparkling pure, like dancing snowflakes on a beautiful cold and sun-touched winter’s day. Harmonically waving between Allen’s pretty angelic voice, and the delightfully silvery ambient tones, evolving into a choir-like peak, before the play-box take a perfect sudden closing which leaves, at least this listener, both wanting and content” – Luna Kafe on single ‘Rainbirds’

Boxharp was recently chosen by David Bowie in a January 2010 article in British newspaper The Guardian as one of his current favourite artists and promptly received a full page feature on Bowie’s official website.  

For Boxharp, inspiration comes from 78s of Burl Ives and John Jacob Niles’ children’s songs played on a Fisher Price record player, and Soviet France albums encased in burlap and tinfoil. Field recordings, layered harmonies, found objects, obsolete hand-me-down machines – all these things brought producer Scott Solter and singer Wendy Allen together. In their music, the disparate parts lead down diverse paths, rich in atmosphere and emotional resonance.

Wendy Allen has played and toured with several bands since the start of the decade, including The Court and Spark, Tarantel, Paula Frasier (of Tarnation), William Lazarus, and Howard Hello, as well as writing film scores for small indie film projects. She is a member of The Balustrade Ensemble.

As a producer, recordist and mixer, Solter has worked with numerous indie artists, including Erik Friedlander, Spoon, The Mountain Goats, John Vanderslice, Lazarus, The Forms, Pattern is Movement, Superchunk, Okkervil River, Liam Singer, and St Vincent. Solter has released two solo albums, The Brief Light on Manifold Records (2003) and One River on Tell-All Records (2005). He has also executed a number of remixes, including Scott Solter Re-Populates The Caribbean (Hidden Shoal, 2009). He is a member of The Balustrade Ensemble and produced 2007’s Capsules for Dynamophone Records.

The Loam Arcane EP is an exclusive digital-only release available in all digital formats via the Hidden Shoal Store. Boxharp’s forthcoming album The Green is released on 4th May 2010, preceded by a single on 25th March 2010.

Hidden Shoal Recordings is an Australia-based independent music label that has earned a reputation for releasing exciting and engaging new independent music that is not bound by genre or style. Hidden Shoal Recordings was chosen as one of the top 10 favourite labels of 2007 by Textura magazine and has been dubbed “This generation’s 4AD” by prominent New York radio host DJ Mojo.

Label Site: http://music.hiddenshoal.com
Label Store: http://agora.hiddenshoal.com
Boxharp: http://www.boxharp.com

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Hidden Shoal Recordings is an Australia-based music label that has earned a reputation for releasing engaging new music that is not bound by genre or style. The label has been dubbed “This generation’s 4AD” by prominent New York radio host DJ Mojo.