Artist: Hidden Orchestra
Title: To Dream Is To Forget
Format: LP, CD, Digital
Label: Lone Figures
Genre: Experimental
Release Date: 22/09/2023

Since its inception, producer and composer Joe Acheson has carefully developed Hidden Orchestra from a simple initial project concept of ‘an imagined orchestra’ into something that has flourished into a widespan musical universe of its own, that is truly unlike anything else. 

After multiple albums with respected independent label Tru Thoughts, continued support from the likes of The Guardian, BBC6Music, FIP, JazzFM, several awards for innovative soundtrack work intertwined with AI and consistent global touring of an energetic and intriguing live show featuring two duelling drummers, their reach and influence has swollen to make them one of the highest regarded names in independent music today and has even led to collaborations beyond the world of music, with The British Library, Kew Gardens and National Trust all enlisting Acheson for unique installation projects. Yet regardless of the current brief in front of him, the initial mission statement to ‘create electronic music with acoustic means’ remains.  

Acheson achieves this task with aplomb, conjuring intricate yet expansive worlds of sound, built in collaboration with a select core of talented musicians, combined with Acheson’s bespoke samples, field recordings, and carefully honed composition and arrangement sensibilities. Detail and craftsmanship are at the core of everything he does, even musically directing a diverse array of instrumentalists to capture unique samples of both improvised and scored nature. This ingenious approach really sets his work apart from the crowd and allows Acheson’s artistic vision to come to life exactly as intended.

While new album To Dream Is To Forget certainly maintains this mission statement, it does also bring about a sea change for the project on a few fronts. Released via Acheson’s own newly formed Lone Figures imprint, the musical direction for the record involved a concerted effort to condense musical themes and ideas into more immediate arrangements, with less utilisation of field recordings than previously released material. 

Predominantly sticking to this ethos has indeed meant an average track length reduction throughout, however there is still the same high level of musicality and no shortage of ideas within this rich collection of 10 original tracks. 

A familiar cast of contributors return – with long term members Jamie Graham (drums), Tim Lane (drums), and Poppy Ackroyd (violin) all present, alongside newer personnel – Jack McNeill (clarinet) and Rebecca Knight (cello) all helping to realise Acheson’s musical vision. 

The album title is taken from a line by Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa – “No one tires of dreaming, because to dream is to forget, and forgetting does not weigh on us, it is a dreamless sleep throughout which we remain awake.”

And this seems an apt calling card for a collection that draws influence from a fantastic and diverse array of places. Musically at any given point you are as likely to hear sounds akin to Max Cooper or Four Tet as you are Stravinsky, Debussy, and Ravel. 

With the idea of ‘reimagining’ playing a key role in the creation of the project, the title track leans into the overarching concept and nature of dreams reworking everyday experience into new subconscious stories… 

Pulling inspiration from almost everywhere Acheson explains: “I’m influenced by everything I’ve ever heard, a lot of these sounds aren’t inherently musical, but I’ll try to find something with a musical quality within it. I also like the intentions of a lot of sacred choral music, creations that look upwards, this has a big aesthetic influence on the way I try to create.” 

Tracklist
1. Hammered   
2. Little Buddy Move    
3. Skylarks   
4. Nightfall   
5. Scatter   
6. Ripple   
7. Broken   
8. Cage Then Brick   
9. Reverse Learning    
10. To Dream Is To Forget

Links
Official: www.hiddenorchestra.com 
Bandcamp: https://hiddenorchestra.bandcamp.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/hidden_orchestra 
Facebook: https://facebook.com/HiddenOrchestra 

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Artist: Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving
Title: Oscillating Forest
Format: LP, CD, Digital
Label: Bird’s Robe Records/ Dunk! Records
Distribution: MGM
Genre: Post-Metal/ Instrumental Rock
Release Date: 04/08/2023

Inspired by the sounds, intensity, emotion and life-cycles of the bush of the south-west of Australia, Oscillating Forest is a reconstruction of the harsh and varied landscape in audio form. As with the sounds and seasons of nature, the textures and tones captured here oscillate, pulse and modulate in a way that is not linear, predictable or safe; Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving guides the listener through a terrain where danger and beauty are found and contrasted around every turn. 

Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving composed the album in the mould of an hour-long live set – a free flowing piece of music, ignoring the constraints of standalone songs and traditional structures. Instead, each track is complementary to what comes before and after it, a constant transfer of searing energy and emotion, a cycle of constantly building and destroying itself. 

Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving recorded Oscillating Forest in 2021 and 2022 at Studio Sleepwalker’s Dread in North Dandalup, Western Australia. This was a period of intense inspiration for the band, the first  album written with Gracie Smith on drums – and second with Paul Briggs on guitar. There is a telling shift in energy and dynamics captured here – the chemistry and cohesion between Smith, Briggs and founding members Ron Pollard and Luke Pollard presented the opportunity to push further down the path of improvisation than previously captured on other Tangled records. Large swathes of the album were recorded live, with sections of improvisation punctuated by more purposefully layered movements.   

The artwork by South African artist Caitlin Mkhasibe further explores these themes of chaotic energy and space in the form of a conceptual view of Oscillating Forest, marked in map form. The lines, contours, terrains, textures, detail and intersections of trails echo the intertwining tracks of the record. 

Tracklist
1. Sudden Peril   
2. Ghost Albatross   
3. Twin Snakes In The Curvature   
4. Seep Into   
5. Lake Orb Altar 
6. Trinket Forest   
7. Lamprey Strings   
8. Bush Wallaby   
9. Folded Into   
10. The Mantle   
11. Oscillating Forest

Links
Official: http://tangledthoughtsofleaving.com 
Bandcamp: https://ttol.bandcamp.com/album/oscillating-forest 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/tangledtol   
Facebook: https://facebook.com/TangledThoughtsOfLeaving
Label: https://birdsrobe.com

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Artist: Hemina
Title: Romancing Together
Format: LP, CD, Digital
Label: Bird’s Robe Records
Distribution: MGM
Genre: Progressive Metal
Release Date: 11/08/2023

Get ready to embark on a mind-bending journey with Hemina‘s fifth album, Romancing The Ether, the epic conclusion to their conceptual story that has spanned their entire back catalogue. Explore the continuation of the adolescent’s story from Night Echoes, the child of the characters developed in their previous albums, Synthetic, Nebulae, and Venus. This album delves into the innermost motivations of family, meaning, and belonging through a psychological and spiritual journey. The 35-minute track is divided into 6 movements, each exploring the depths of the human psyche in a unique way.

Romancing The Ether is a genre-bending experience that draws influences from neo-soul, world music, ambient, and psytrance. The result is a cathartic musical journey that is as uplifting as it is dark and visceral.

The Australian progressive melodic metal quarter have earned a cult following for their signature syncopated grooves and multi-part vocal harmonies. The new album sees them pushed to their limits – it features over 100 part choral vocal arrangements and for the first time, live orchestral strings and 8-string guitars.

Hemina have shared the stage with international bands like Opeth, Haken, Queensryche, Protest the Hero, Kamelot, Apocalyptica, and Uriah Heep, as well as Australian legends like Caligula’s Horse, Chaos Divine, Voyager, Twelve Foot Ninja, Toehider, and Teramaze. They have also performed internationally at Progpower Europe (Netherlands) and Euroblast (Germany).

Their previous four albums were met with critical acclaim and showcased the band’s versatility and range. With Romancing The Ether, Hemina has once again paired with audiophile mastering engineer extraordinaire Ermin Hamidovic at Systematic Productions (Periphery, Devin Townsend, Plini, Architects) delivering their most polished, dynamic production to date.

Accompanied by an immersive full-length album visualiser, the record serves as a multimedia experience to transport listeners to another world, at a time when a temporary escape is sorely needed.

Romancing The Ether is out on Friday 11 August through Bird’s Robe Records. The band will embark on a series of tour dates during 2023, beginning with shows in Sydney & Canberra, joining long time friends and recent Eurovision finalists VOYAGER.

Tracklist
1. Romancing The Ether

Links
Official: https://hemina.com.au 
Bandcamp: https://hemina.bandcamp.com 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/heminaofficial
Facebook: https://facebook.com/heminamusic
Label: https://birdsrobe.com

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Artist: Sounds Of New Soma
Title: Schimmer
Format: Digital Single
Label: Tonzonen Records
Distribution: Soulfood Music
Genre: Berlin School, Experimental, Elektro, Neo-Krautrock
Release Date: 26/05/2023

Schimmer is the first single from the upcoming album Fluxus 2071 by neo-krautrock duo Sounds Of New Soma, to be released fall 2023 on Tonzonen Records.

The new single is performed by the Sounds Of New Soma duo and very special guest Steffen Gründel on saxophone. Turn on, tune in, psyche out!

Fluxus 2071 is already the 13th album of the two musicians and yet again represents a very special step in the career of the band project. While the last album Musique Bizarre still Tonzonen label bands were brought on board for songs, so Alex Djelassi and Dirk Raupach have now again worked almost completely alone in the home studio Helmtown intensively on sounds.

Many sequences and melodies, abnormal tone sequences and spherical sounds further an excellent result has come about. Sounds Of New Soma at its best.

As the first song of the new album, Schimmer is deliberately an uncharacteristically short song. As short as catchy and captivating in its perception, the melody and the accompanying saxophone immediately remain positively in the listener’s consciousness.

An almost transcendental experience.
The song is the bridge to the whole.
The bridge to the rest of the album, which finds its continuation exactly in this way.

Links
Facebook: https://facebook.com/SoundsOfNewSoma 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soundsofnewsoma_official
Bandcamp: https://soundsofnewsoma.bandcamp.com 
Label: https://tonzonen.de

Artist: Judith Parts
Title: Meadowsweet
Format: LP, Digital
Label: self-released
Genre: Experimental
Release Date: 09/06/2023

Judith Parts, an Estonian artist, multi-instrumentalist and producer currently residing in Copenhagen, proudly presents her first solo album Meadowsweet. This enchanting musical masterpiece embarks the listener away on a captivating journey through self-discovery and personal growth.

Distinguished by its unique structure, Meadowsweet unveils a collection of songs and instrumental tracks divided into six chapters, which step by step reveal the story behind the album. Drawing inspiration from Nordic plants, Judith’s roots, and her ancestral lineage, the album gracefully pays homage to her Estonian heritage. Reflecting on her journey, Judith remarks, “Moving abroad made me really face myself. I started to realise how much we are formed by where we come from. How we carry all the beauty, but also all the pain that place and our ancestors have been through“. 

The album is accompanied by stunning visuals, a result of Judith’s collaboration with a jewellery artist Claudia Lepik, photographer Todd Richter, videographer Pille Kannimäe, and stylist Liisa-Chrislin Saleh. “Since the whole album is my way of looking at my roots, it was important for me to go to nature in Estonia to shoot the visuals,” Judith says.

The title track of the album is directly inspired by the Nordic plant meadowsweet. Meadowsweet smells sweet like honey, cures headaches and makes people fall asleep. Standing in a field of blooming meadowsweet feels like smelling your lover and getting completely high from it.” says Judith.

The song Meadowsweet is a tribute to the strength, power, sensuality and softness embodied by the “Meadowsweet Queen”, a character that emerged from Judith’s experience in a field of blooming meadowsweet. “After writing that song, it was clear to me that it would become the title track of the album.” 

Judith Parts is a Copenhagen based producer and artist who mixes acoustic instruments with electronics and field recordings, creating experimental pop songs and minimalist/melancholic instrumental tracks. Besides working on her solo project, she has composed and produced music for many theatre and dance performances. Originally from Estonia, she draws a lot of her inspiration from the nature she grew up in.

Tracklist
1. Meadowsweet   
2. Underwater Love   
3. København   
4. November   
5. Samsø   
6. Family   
7. Burn Like Witches   
8. Intro I   
9. Nettle Field   
10. Apple Tree   
11. Spells

Links
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/judithparts 
Official: https://judithparts.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/judithparts 
Facebook: https://facebook.com/judithpartsmusic 

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Artist: The Sun Or The Moon
Title: Andromeda
Format: LP, CD, Digital
Label: Tonzonen Records
Distribution: Soulfood Music
Genre: Psychedelic/ Kraut
Release Date: 16/06/2023

The Sun Or The Moon was founded in the summer of 2019 in Mainz by four adventurous and creative musicians to realize their sound inspired by the Kraut and Psychedelic Rock of the 70s. After the quartet had already released some songs in digital form on popular streaming platforms, the debut album Cosmic was released in September 2021 on Tonzonen Records as a double vinyl LP.

The four musicians Frank Incense (vocals, bass, guitar, synthesizer), Markus Weber (guitar), Susanne Schneider (piano and keyboards) and Niclas Ciriacy (drums and percussion) describe their sound as psychedelic space lounge music. Over an electronic foundation of repetitive beats and electronically generated soundscapes, the band develops their hypnotic sound, which is mostly located somewhere between monotonous Kraut, relaxed Psychedelic Ambient and sprawling Acid and Prog Rock.

With their second album Andromeda, which will be released on June 16, 2023, also on Tonzonen Records as vinyl, CD and in digital form, the four musicians open the next chapter of their chilling journey through time and space. The recording sessions and mixing of the new songs took a considerable amount of time due to the special and detailed ideas of the musicians, who also act as producers, and the large number of guest musicians invited to the sessions (including a string quartet). The musicians again used a variety of sources of inspiration that they incorporated into the production process: 60s and 70s psychedelic bands, art and prog rock acts (Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree), Krautrock (CAN, Amon Düül), electronic pioneers (Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream), trip hop (Massive Attack, Portishead) as well as world music, jazz, new wave and post punk. The special thing about The Sun Or The Moon here is that the four musicians manage in a relaxed way to merge their diverse influences into a homogeneous whole.

Tracklist
1. Operation Mindfuck
2. Psychedelik Kosmonaut
3. Planet 9
4. Andromedan Speed Freaks 
5. The Art Of Microdosing
6.  Into Smithereens
7. Surfin’ Around Saturn* 
8. 40 Days*
*CD only

Links
Official: https://thesunorthemoon.com 
Bandcamp: https://thesunorthemoon.bandcamp.com 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_sun_or_the_moon_music
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesunorthemoonband 
Label: https://www.tonzonen.de 

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Artist: Nile On Wax
Title: After Heaven
Format: LP, CD, Digital
Label: Tonzonen Records
Genre: Psychedelic Avantgarde Rock
Release Date: 19/05/2023

Known for her collaborations with international artists such as Iggy Pop, John Parish, Nick Cave or Hugo Race, Catherine Graindorge has joined forces with bassist David Christophe and drummer Elie Rabinovitch under the name Nile On Wax.

The music of the trio cannot be classified, it has a distinctive intense and almost nebulous identity. An atmosphere somewhere between post-rock, jazz and psychedelic sounds. The soundtrack for a western, or a late night city walk.