“Archipelag” is the second album from Hidden Orchestra, who were recently highlighted by the Independent On Sunday as one of their ‘Sounds Of The Summer’ 2012. Following the release of their 10,000 selling debut, “Night Walks”, their intricate yet viscerally emotive and energetic sound has won critical acclaim and a diverse fanbase, from bass and hip hop heads to jazz and classical aficionados to rock fans.
The core quartet of Hidden Orchestra is formed around the duelling drum kits, percussion and electronic pads of two drummers, Tim Lane and Jamie Graham, completed by Poppy Ackroyd’s distinctive, multi-faceted violin and piano playing and Joe Acheson’s bass and original samples. Hidden Orchestra have seen their star rise steadily and emphatically, with an organic buzz building as they have toured their highly in-demand live show almost non-stop through over 20 countries, in addition to tour support stints for the likes of Bonobo.
“Archipelago” sees Acheson, the musical mastermind behind the talented Edinburgh four-piece, continuing to explore and develop many themes that emerged on their debut, adding new ideas, guest players, instruments and found sounds; to name a few, listen up for tap-dancing, bagpipe drones, and Acheson stomping in snow and ice.
One track from “Archipelago” made its way out of the studio on an EP last November: “Flight” gained heavy BBC 6Music play from Cerys Matthews (who also invited the band for a live session) and Huey Morgan, as well as Jamie Cullum (BBC R2), Gilles Peterson (then BBC R1), Late Junction (BBC R3), John Kennedy (XFM) and more. The eagle-eared may also have spotted the burgeoning new material in Acheson’s mixtapes – a series of elaborate studio creations giving an insight into his eclectic influences and singular musical sensibility, each gaining tens of thousands of hits.
In sampling found sounds and inspired improvisation, alongside his skills as a composer, Acheson instils in the music of Hidden Orchestra an anchor to its earthly environment, while often conjuring an ethereal atmosphere and fragility that can whisk the listener off to another world; there are moments of feeling suspended somewhere in between. Acheson captured bird and wave sounds on the tiny remote Scottish island North Rona, when he and Poppy accompanied her father, the artist Norman Ackroyd, on a trip to gather sketches for his etchings – including the one which they used on the album cover.
Tracklisting:
01. Overture
02. Spoken
03. Flight
04. Vorka
05. Hushed
06. Reminder
07. Seven Hunters
08. Fourth Wall
09. Disquiet
10. Vainamoinen
The album Hidden Orchestra “Archipelago” (Tru Thoughts) is going to be released October 05, 2012.
