02.11.09 I Fieldhead 'They Shook Hands For Hours' - Released Today

We're very pleased to announce that Fieldhead's debut album 'They Shook Hands For Hours' is released today. Initial copies include a special, limited edition, bonus CD of remixes from the likes of Machinefabriek, Jasper TX, Seaworthy, Northerner and The Declining Winter and you can find further information, as well as sample tracks from the album throughout these pages. To purchase your copy and avoid missing out on the limited remix CD please go to our Buy page.

The album has been receiving some excellent reviews and here are a few more......"Paul Elam first came to my attention earlier in 2009 as a member of The Declining Winter. Now the Leeds-based artist sets his course for a solo ambient project. Taking a similar approach to music as Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis, Elam’s theory is that “a note is only there because it has to be”. Elam is true to his word but still manages to create some deeply evocative soundscapes.

‘This Train Is A Rainbow’ sets the agenda for the glitchy electronica and tape hiss that become notable features throughout the album. For ‘Document One’, some low-slung guitar work and warm ambient textures form a melody that is almost comforting. Listening to ‘Of October’ at the end of this month makes perfect sense and it’s infused with an appropriate chill factor that promises another cold English Winter. Meanwhile, mournful strings underscore the dark loveliness of ‘He’d Found The Sea’ and ‘Songs Well Known’.

‘They Shook Hands For Hours’ never comes close to being the highbrow exercise in experimentation it could have been. Instead, Elam always manages to convey emotions and there’s a constant sense of loneliness and despair to these tracks. In fact, one could imagine this album being the perfect accompaniment to walking through disused buildings on a cold autumnal day in Yorkshire". Jon Leonard - Leonard's Lair

"....Merging his love for drone & contemporary sound design with melodic electronica & glitch, this CD pulls you in from the off with the stripped back beats & drowsy phasing of 'This Train is a Rainbow' to the drifting, spectral drone/ambience of 'Half Names' & the looped, atmospheric eeriness of the title track.....his love for melancholy electronics, field recordings & ponderous neo-classical movement is most apparent, his pieces are lovingly structured and flow quite beautifully and his feel for both space & rhythm is well considered making this a treat to listen to". Norman Records

"....Paul Elam creates highly immersive electronic soundscapes full of glitch, ambient, growling and snarling sounds and obscure, sometimes up-tempo beats. The haunting character, the desolation and the hypnotic sounds all make sure you soon loose any touch with reality, in a nice way. The gritty sounds seem to fall like snow on a deserted landscape.... It is breath-taking. The melancholic beauty in three of the ten tracks is given even more splendour by a violinist....Hearing is believing in this case. Overwhelming beauty!" Jan Willem Broek - Kaleidescope

28.10.09 I Fieldhead 'They Shook Hands For Hours' - Boomkat Review

This excellent review at Boomkat just about nails it for us...."Following on from releases by Northerner and The Declining Winter, the Home Assembly Music imprint makes it three-from-three with this excellent solo outing from Paul Elam (a full-time member of the aforementioned Declining Winter). On the accompanying press notes, the label itself levels comparisons with Machinefabriek and The Caretaker, and you can certainly hear where they're coming from, although neither of those artists is especially likely to be dishing out Dilla-esque beats on their opening track the way Elam does on 'This Train Is A Rainbow'. Similarly, 'Document One' is very much in the same vein as Lone or Keaver & Brause - perhaps even Bibio's recent work - in its re-jigging of modern beat compressions with old, faded source material. There's enough beatless material here to destabilise those sorts of categorisations however: during 'Of October's scratchy glitch orchestrations and the Tim Hecker-style tonal drifts of 'Half Names' a different picture emerges. This hauntological hip-hop opus is really quite special, and certainly with songs like 'I'm Fond Of Maps' (think Burial, circa 1920) and 'He'd Found The Sea' there's an indication of exciting things to come from this artist. Highly recommended".

28.10.09 I Fieldhead 'They Shook Hands For Hours' - Tasty Fanzine Review

"Often, I find electronica a bit predictable....Then along comes an album such as 'They Shook Hands ...' and heard-it-all cynics such as myself are reminded that they posess more prejudices than they actually thought they did, and also that a lot of really good, orignal and innovative electronic music doesn't actually get heard very widely....At various points Fieldhead reference dub minimalism, spacey prog rock, adding moments of elegaic acoustic interplay, even just blank soundscapes that require the listeners imagination to bring them to life. The album is constructed with a clarity and attention to detail that some electronics performers miss out on....there is a proper aspect of minimalism to Fieldheads sound, and if there's one album I've heard this year that would bring a defined ambience to a large art gallery, then that album is most definitely 'They Shook Hands ...'. Quality." (Jon Gordon - Tasty Fanzine). The full review can be found here.

27.10.09 I Fieldhead 'They Shook Hands For Hours' - Autres Directions Review

Denis Frelat, writing in Autres Directions...."Fieldhead's work is more or less in the same range as his stablemate Northerner, which we can describe as electronica: instrumental, minimal, ambient. But far from just being musical wallpaper, They Shook Hands For Hours shines with emotions, inscribed by confident melodies and an impression of sensitivity radiates through the whole work". The full review can be found here and our translation from the French (courtesy of Caroline Cummings), can be found here.

19.10.09 I Fieldhead 'They Shook Hands For Hours' - Fluid Radio's 'Album Of The Week'

Fluid Radio have named Fieldhead's debut album 'They Shook Hands For Hours', their 'Album Of The Week'.

"Fieldhead’s debut album looks like being another special release from the Home Assembly label....Been listening to this gorgeous album over the last few days and it easily warrants album of the week…". It can all be found here and Fluid Radio is definitely worth tuning into.

19.10.09 I Northerner - New EP/Mini LP '1976' on Hibernate Recordings

Northerner has a new EP/Mini LP entitled '1976' which is due to be released on the Hibernate Recordings imprint (hb04) any day now. Pre-orders are being taken on the Hibernate Recordings website and further details can be found on our Releases page.

"Avoiding the familiar, Cummings sets about transporting the listener down new paths, where gossamer guitar textures mingle with shimmering, bucolic atmospherics, forgotten voices and deftly laced found sounds...."

18.10.09 I Fieldhead 'They Shook Hands For Hours' - Adequacy.net Review

"Fieldhead are.... making a bigger, louder, and more intriuging noise than, given any of my own preconceptions about music of this type, I was entirely prepared to hear.... a name to watch out for, as producers, performers, or just the faceless mavericks they undoubtedly are. Play loud". The full review can be found here.

12.10.09 I Fieldhead 'They Shook Hands For Hours' - More Reviews

Online music magazine Whisperin' And Hollerin's review of Fieldhead's debut album 'They Shook Hands For Hours' starts with these words......"This elegant album communicates integrity and substance in the few seconds it takes to open the case and start listening to the first track, "this train is a rainbow". The decisive minimalism of the graphics and the carefully dense texture of the music announce a wish to be known and listened to, with an assurance that there will be a lot to hear and nothing dropped carelessly in simply because it can be (9/10)". The full review can be found here.

And here's one from Die Shellsuit Die......."To be brief, 'They Shook Hands For Hours' sounds like Merzbow doing a chill-out album. Yes, it is that good - and disturbing. Minimalist without being minging, drone without being dirge, Fieldhead conjures up a variety of soundscapes to lose oneself in, like opening a door and suddenly being swamped by the cut-up soundtracks to late-night films.....". The rest of the review can be found here

06.10.09 I Fieldhead 'They Shook Hands For Hours' - Dutch Review

Here's the first review we've found of Fieldhead's debut album 'They Shook Hands For Hours'. It's from the Dutch website 'IkEcht' and the full review can be found here. Below is our best translation.

"....The album clocks in at just short of 40 minutes. It is filled with sounds that for the lack of better description I will just call rhythmic ambient soundscapes, or something like that. Hard to pigeonhole. It clearly is electronic music, somewhat minimal, but not forgetting to write real songs and add melody. The warmth of "real" instruments is used at times as well.

An album that I dare say is good. Songs grow on you every time you spin them, reveal another bit of themselves. This effect is not reached by making the songs very bombastic, there isn't bombast in here at all. These are very well-crafted songs. I at least can sit, listen and enjoy...."

'They Shook Hands For Hours' will be released on 2nd November 2009. To pre-order your copy and ensure that you will also receive the additional bonus disc of remixes from the likes of Machinefabriek, Jasper TX, Seaworthy, The Declining Winter, Northerner etc, please visit our buy page.

22.09.09 I Fieldhead 'They Shook Hands For Hours' CD - Pre-order Details

We're very pleased to announce that we are now taking advance orders on Fieldhead's debut album 'They Shook Hands For Hours'. The official release date is 2nd November 2009 and initial copies will come with a limited CD of remixes from the likes of Machinefabriek, Jasper TX, Seaworthy, The Declining Winter and Northerner (amongst others). Full details can be found on our 'Releases' page and we have also uploaded tracks from the album on our 'Listen' page. To ensure you receive the bonus disc of remixes we would recommend that you pre-order your copy on our 'Buy' page.

21.08.09 I The Declining Winter - More Reviews

Fluid Radio have included The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' in their top ten list for August. An excellent online radio station and definitely worth a look/listen.

A couple more reviews of 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' have also come to our attention. The first is from the online music magazine The Line Of Best Fit. "The dark snowy scenes that act as The Declining Winter’s album covers are very apt, the strangeness of snow covering once familiar places, white pitching out in the dark, the incredible sense of loneliness (which can be comforting as well as terrifying).......". The second comes from Birmingham's We Are Colour. "Haunt The Upper Hallways is a fascinating continuation of a journey; the hallways of the title perhaps representative of Adams obsession with a particular sound, with this a meticulous documentation of his findings within them. It will be interesting to see what he does next, whether these preoccupations become spectres in the background of a new sound or continue to dominate his work".

Succinctly encapsulating the essence of 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' in just a couple of sentences. To read the full reviews or visit Fluid Radio, please click on the respective links.

29.07.09 I HAM003 - Fieldhead 'They Shook Hands For Hours'

It is with great pleasure that we announce initial details of our third release, due in the autumn of 2009. It comes from Leeds resident, Paul Elam, who records his solo works as Fieldhead. Paul is a full-time member of The Declining Winter and recently contributed a remix to the bonus CD of 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' (HAM002). His remix of 'Cull' is also featured on Northerner's CD 'The Ridings' (HAM001). 'They Shook Hands For Hours' will be his debut album and a limited number of copies will be issued with an accompanying CD of remixes from the likes of Machinefabriek, Jasper TX, Seaworthy, The Declining Winter, Library Tapes and Northerner (amongst others). Further details, together with sample tracks and information on how to pre-order your copy and ensure you get the bonus CD, will be posted throughout these pages very soon, so please keep checking back.

29.07.09 I The Declining Winter - Bonus Remix CD Sold Out

The limited edition bonus CD of remixes of The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' has now completely sold out. The only place you may still be able to get hold of a copy is from Linus Records in Tokyo who are stocking a small supply.

The original 7" Single/CD set is of course still available either from our Buy page or most decent record shops.

25.07.09 I The Declining Winter - Subba-Cultcha Review

"....makes for some stirring listening.......opening with the title track, the tone is immediately set for an opulent, dynamic affair. Via intertwining melodies, deep-bass hooks and ghostly disembodied vocal tracks. At once the music is both somewhat esoteric and deeply involving. Being at once atmospheric, engaging and somewhat sensual.....In conclusion then it’s an engaging, relaxing, atmospheric pretty special record, that seemed to come out of the middle of nowhere. Inspired". The full review can be found at Subba-Cultcha.com

24.07.09 I Norman Records - 'Single Of The Week'

The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' has been awarded 'Single Of The Week' at Norman Records......"Haunt The Upper Hallways marks the return of The Declining Winter and introduces, what I assume to be an innovative new release format. 'Haunt the upper hallways' is ten tracks spread over a 7" and a CD. Certainly a cool way of providing plenty of content without faffing about trying to find an affordable MP3 download service provider. I like this format a lot oi tell thee. You've got a nice rekkid for home use and a less expensive product you can lend to your pals or play in your vehicle on your way to wherever....it's versatile see! Now the single (mini-album?? i don't know) is totally mint and fully in keeping with what I'd expect from one half of the brothers Hood.....Seek this out quick and you'll also be treated to an additional remix CD (exclusive to NORMAN RECORDS)". You can find their full review here at Norman Records where you can still get hold of the additional CD of remixes.

24.07.09 I Boomkat - 'Album Of The Week'

Boomkat have awarded The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' 'Album Of The Week'. Here's an extract of their review."....leading with a title track that instantly transports you to the kind of idiosyncratic acoustic frameworks that held together classic Hood recordings. It's a familiarly stark, rustic sound-world, full of tumbling beats and sweeping, harmonised violins, yet in this context it takes on an altogether poppier discourse. 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' is full of colour and lyricsim, yet it's also packing a bit of a punch thanks to the hip-hop-in-a-barn quality of the drums. 'My Name Is In Ruins' follows suit with a line in plucked dulcimers and whooshing layered vocals, while the strings really start to take hold during 'Hey EFD' - it's a wonderful thing......Gorgeous music - Highly recommended". You can read their review in full here, Boomkat.com

21.07.09 I The Declining Winter - God Is In The TV Review

Here's an extract from God Is In The TV online music magazine's review of The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways'.".....Largely instrumental, 'Haunt the Upper Hallways' is a delicately sad affair. Thrums of electronic bass underpin cascading keyboard tones, creating layers of lush and monumentally sad sounds. Sometimes these keyboard sounds fall like rain (as in the recurring Hey EFD), sometimes they soar like string sections.....Slow, sensitive, subtle ambient electronica is the order of the day with The Declining Winter, and 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' stands as another fine achievement in Richard Adams' canon. To read the full review please follow this link God Is In The TV

18.07.09 I The Declining Winter - Remixes CD Offer - Sold Out

The offer of the free CD of remixes, included with the first 100 website orders of The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' has now closed. You can still purchase the 7" Single/CD set direct from us but if you're also after the additional CD of remixes then please follow this link to the Norman Records website where they have an exclusive supply on offer.

17.07.09 I The Declining Winter - Web Order Shipping News

We are pleased to report that we have finally taken delivery of The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways'. To all our customers who have ordered this item through the website, we once again thank you for your continued patience and confirm that all orders will be dispatched on Monday 20 July. This release should then appear in the shops on Monday 27 July.

14.07.09 I The Declining Winter - Penny Black Music Review

Chris Jones, writing in Penny Black Music online magazine......."All those adjectives that work for Hood tracks -- pastoral, somber, autumnal, haunting, ... -- work equally well here. This album continues from there along a path which has enough familiar landmarks to draw you further along before suddenly you realize that you aren't on the path you thought you were. Strings and dulcimers pop out with an almost eerie quality. The vocals too have been altered and shifted in ways to lend them a netherworldly quality. Drums skitter and stagger at times throughout the journey, but manage to compel one onward. At this point, what at first seemed like a familiar landscape has clearly been distorted and rearranged to a much greater extent than expected. It's as if Adams took the elements from past Hood works and stripped them bare, examined them, modified them, added to them and then reassembled the whole lot using different hands and ears. After all these years of listening to Hood and Hood related bands, I'm not sure why I didn't expect this album to be unexpectedly fresh and engaging, but I'm looking forward to going down a familiar new path again sometime soon". The full review can be found at this link Penny Black Music

11.07.09 I The Declining Winter - Further Delays

We're sorry to have to report that there is another delay on The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' Single/CD. We were promised that we would have it delivered to us on Friday but disappointingly this did not materialise. We realise that this is totally unacceptable as far as those of you who have ordered your copies through the website are concerned and once again offer our sincere apologies. We too, are extremely unhappy about this situation and are doing all we can to bring it to a speedy conclusion. We have now been promised that it should ship to us (from the Czech Republic) early this coming week, so we're hoping to be in the position to dispatch all our website orders by the end of next week. We will of course post any further details on this site as soon as we have them and once again thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

10.07.09 I The Declining Winter - Kaleidoscope Review

Jan Willem Broek, writing in Caleidoscoop online magazine in The Netherlands, has kindly provided us with an English translation of his review of 'Haunt The Upper Hallways'. It goes like this "......it must be said, with his release 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' Richard Adams is giving us quite a treat. You get not only a 3-song 7”, but also a CD with 10 tracks. After Northerner’s debut, this is the second release on the prestigious Home Assembly Music. Richard focuses on atmospheric post-rock with elements of ambient, neo-classical music and experimental electronics. Beside the electronics you hear various acoustic instruments like strings, guitars, thumb piano’s (or sounds of it) and percussion. They form a ghost-like symbiosis, supplemented with samples and real singing. Richard let's all sounds converge in an unusual way and experiments with different rhythms, which often has a peculiar effect. Dreamy and folk like, but within the boundaries of the genres named above. The atmosphere is sultry and subdued. Think of a highly original hybrid of Helios, Rachel’s, Peter Broderick, Talk Talk, Centenaire, Dirty Three, The Boats, Manyfingers and of course Hood. If you’re really fast you’ll also receive an extra remix-cd with great mixes of Part Timer, Fieldhead, James Yates, Library Tapes, Winter North Atlantic, Northerner, Trap Remit, Strategy and one of the band itself. In short, a triple thick release which is way too good to be true!"

08.07.09 I The Declining Winter - Autres Directions Review

The review of The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' by Denis Frelat, writing in Autres Directions online magazine goes something like this....."If, like its predecessor (Goodbye Minnesota), 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' has been recorded on home equipment, it is significantly less electronic. Cut through with acoustic instruments and carried higher by breathy vocals spliced with heavenly choirs, the album also strives to blend experimental sounds with harmonies, austerity with empathy, silences with spectacular sweeping sounds. Excessively ambitious given the means at his disposal? No, certainly not, for Richard Adams approaches his arrangements with meticulous design, with melodies at the same time ethereal and shattering, punctuating these soaring compositions here and there with silky chords, intimate guitar touches and sultry choruses......'Haunt The Upper Hallways' is where the artist hones his craft, transcending melancholy with passion". Autres Directions (translated from French).

07.07.09 I The Declining Winter - Crumbs In The Butter Review

Crumbs In The Butter online magazine review of The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways'......"Anyone familiar with 'Hood', will find much to enjoy within this release, Adams has taken lessons learnt and has crafted his own unique vision of days gone by. Where Hood mixed it up and added everything from Rappers to mad electronic soundscapes, Adams has laced his own moniker with oboes, violins and ghost like vocal warbles. The overall effect is stark but brimming with depth and moments of gratifying heartache....This album could cool the sun if only my speakers would reach that far."...... The full review can be found at a click of this link Crumbs In The Butter

06.07.09 I The Declining Winter - Release Update and Reviews

We have now been advised by our manufacturers that we can expect to take delivery of The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' this coming weekend. This means that we should be in a position to ship all our website orders early next week. So to all our website customers, thanks for your continued patience and hopefully the wait is coming to an end.

"....an album of darkly beautiful, slightly unsettling, slowburn songs....Using an array of interesting instruments Adams creates something that is at once unique and compelling". echoesanddust.com

"The title track ('Haunt The Upper Hallways')....it’s a great mixture of acoustic guitar, shuffling percussion and sighed harmonies, rounded off by a mournful brass finale. A great lost Hood track, one might say. ‘My Name In Ruins’ is another winner with its queasy changes of pace and Adams’ melancholic enunciations making up a very unusual and melodic song....an adventurous solo performer with a gift for conveying comfort and warmth amidst the bleak fog". Jon Leonard (Leonards Lair).

"The throbbing bass, gentle strings and guitar motifs of the title track are perfectly judged, creating a somnambulant atmosphere that drips with opiate influence. 'Where The Severn Rivers Tread' is a wonderful amalgam of staccato strings, swelling bass, jazz infused drums, and all manner of percussion. musicOMH

28.06.09 I The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' Review In Opus.fm

Here's a small taste of what Jason Morehead, writing in opus.fm, has to say about 'Haunt The Upper Hallways'....

"Think of the long, pastoral moments from The Cycle of Days and Seasons (Hood 1999) and Rustic Houses, Forlorn Valleys (Hood 1998) injected with post-classical fragments from Rachels and Steve Reich as well as some small amounts of dub and folk — and then all of it filtered through the sort of autumnal, melancholy, overcast haze that Hood and the rest of their Nostalgist ilk are so inclined towards and you’re getting close".

"I won’t pretend otherwise and not say that the title track is easily one of the best Hood-related songs in a good long while. The song is thrilling to listen to if only to hear the graceful and evocative manner in which Adams and his collaborators weave together the expected elements — churning feedback, shuffling percussion, acoustic guitars, strings, shimmering keys, and ever-so-breathy vocals — over the song’s nearly six minutes".

To read Jason Morehead's comprehensive review in full, please visit opus.fm

27.06.09 I 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' Remixes

For a flavour of what to expect from the additional CD of remixes, included free with the first 100 website orders of The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways', please visit our listen page where you'll find a couple (Part Timer and Northerner respectively). The full line up of remixers on this additional bonus CD is Part Timer, Fieldhead, James Yates, Library Tapes, Winter North Atlantic, Northerner, Trap Remit, Strategy and one from Richard Adams himself.

25.06.09 I The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' Delayed Release

We're disappointed to have to announce that due to delays with our manufacturer the release of The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' has had to be delayed. We have been assured by the manufacturer that full production is underway and it shouldn't be too much longer (we are hoping days rather than weeks). To all those who have pre-ordered this release through our website we offer a sincere apology for any disappointment this will cause and thank you all for your patience and understanding. Please be assured that we will do all we can to get your orders out to you as soon as possible and we will post any further details on this site just as soon as we have them.

17.05.09 I The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' Pre-order Details

29th June 2009 sees the release of the first new material from Richard Adams' The Declining Winter project since last years critically acclaimed CD 'Goodbye Minnesota'. 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' is a luxuriously packaged 7" single which also includes a 10 track CD album. In addition to this, the first 100 website customers will also receive a bonus CD of remixes of 'Haunt The Upper Hallways' from the likes of Part Timer, Winter North Atlantic, Northerner, Fieldhead and Richard Adams himself (among others). Full details can be found on our releases page and you can also find a couple of full audio tracks on our listen page. To pre-order your copy of 'Haunt The Upper Hallways', please go to our buy page.

02.03.09 I Northerner 'There'll Be Other Holidays'

An extremely limited number of Northerner's debut EP 'There'll Be Other Holidays' have been made available on the Misplaced Music website. The EP can also be purchased as a digital download at Boomkat in both mp3 and FLAC versions.

"....a lovely CD of electronic wonderment. Simple, understated beats, gliding textures & manipulated guitars prevail to provide us, the mere listener, with an all enveloping aural hug....just gorgeous, suspended ambient bliss with a smooth, worry-free brow. Seven varied and compulsive tunes..... Simply divine!". Norman Records.

"Although there's an electronic sheen cast over everything, the central creative force behind this record is Cummings' delicate, effects-laden guitar, plotting out resonant, reverberant lines on pieces like 'No Gloom' while 'Mule', 'UV' and the atmospheric, string-driven 'Looking Up' bring a more textural approach to composition, reigning the guitar into more ensemble-based productions. Lovely home listening fare, no doubt". Boomkat.

28.02.09 I Crumbs In The Butter

Crumbs In The Butter online magazine review of Northerner 'The Ridings'......"The naturalistic approach of less being more is here in abundance. The quiet moments of reflection create anticipation of something more beautiful arriving and in each song new awakenings force you gently to take a back seat and listen. This musical world satisfyingly drifts by but pulls you in, leaving you sated and sedated. This will definitely be one of the albums of the year and I can safely say that, even though we are in February. Ambience at its most innovative and original"...... The full review can be found at a click of this link Crumbs In The Butter

23.02.09 I Piccadilly Records - 'Record Of The Week'

Piccadilly Records have made Northerner 'The Ridings' 'Record Of The Week' in their 'avant-post rock. drone' category. Their full review can be found at www.piccadillyrecords.com

21.02.09 I Norman Records - 'Album Of The Week'/Boomkat - 'Recommended Release'

Norman Records have awarded Northerner's debut album 'The Ridings' 'Album Of The Week' and Boomkat have included it in their list of 'Recommended Releases'. You can read their full reviews at www.normanrecords.com and www.boomkat.com.

15.02.09 I 'The Ridings' Release Date/Pre-order Details

The release date for Northerner's album 'The Ridings' has now been confirmed as 23rd February 2009 and is available to pre-order on our buy page. The first 50 website orders will also include a free set of Home Assembly Music postcards. (please note, we have now sold out of the postcard offer although the double CD is still available).

06.02.2009 I [sic] Magazine/Leonards Lair

Jon Leonard, writing in [sic] Magazine and Leonards Lair has described Northerner's debut album 'The Ridings' as "....likely to be one of the most significant releases of the year" and "....the first great album of 2009". Click on either of the two links (above) to read his full review.

02.02.2009 I The Garden Of Earthly Delights

Head Gardener Shane Quentin has named Northerner's debut 'The Ridings' as his album of the month in his February chart. The Garden Of Earthly Delights broadcasts on radio station CRMK Online in the UK on Fridays at 10pm and is well worth tuning in for.

24.01.2009 I HAM002 - The Declining Winter 'Haunt The Upper Hallways'

We are pleased to confirm that the next release on Home Assembly Music will be from The Declining Winter, the solo project of Richard Adams (founder member of Hood, along with brother Chris). Both Richard and Chris (in his guise as Bracken) appear as remixers on Northerner's debut album 'The Ridings'. The Declining Winter's release is scheduled for spring 2009 and we will be posting further information on this site very soon, so please keep checking back.

29.11.2008 I HAM001 - Northerner 'The Ridings'

Northerner’s debut album, ‘The Ridings’ is now ready for release in early 2009. As it is also the debut release from Home Assembly Music we have invited a number of artists to remix tracks from the album and the whole thing will be presented as a double CD package.

‘The Ridings’ is made up of eleven beautifully crafted instrumental pieces for guitar and other instruments. Ranging from deceptively simple acoustic variations to moments of warm, ethereal, drifting ambience to more complex compositions incorporating sampled ‘found sounds’ to create a sometimes melancholic, always deeply involving listening experience.

The additional CD of remixes takes these compositions into new musical territories, so you’ll find Fieldhead’s powerfully raw and emotional ‘wall of sound’ followed by Chris Adams’ Bracken project delving into the oscillating, sub bass depths of magnetic dub last explored on the mysterious aXXo 12inch single, released on the Killtone imprint. Tokyo’s Yasuhiko Fukuzono (aus) presents a remix of staggering beauty and emotion (hear for yourself on our ‘Listen’ page) and Richard Adams (founder member, along with brother Chris, of influential indie experimenters, Hood) offers an intensely moving, quietly epic overhaul complete with additional vocals in his guise as The Declining Winter. Taking the prize for fastest remixer in the southern hemisphere is Australia’s John McCaffrey (Part Timer). We emailed the files to him one morning and seven hours later a fully formed work of crunching beats and elegant guitar flourishes arrived back in our inbox. Glen Shipley ups the BPM's a little on his piece of grinding MPC driven funk which is followed by Gareth S Brown’s dazzling piece of modern composition. Anyone who has been stunned by his two albums ‘Iron Henry’ and ‘The Gallows/Royal College O’ Surgeons’, released on Misplaced Music, will know what to expect. The brilliant Epic45 duo provide an eerily nostalgic, drifting piece of ambience conjuring up late night LW radio transmissions followed by Make Mine Music labelmate, Portal whose uncanny knack for melody makes for a beautifully subtle and lilting remix. Rounding things off are Winter North Atlantic whose somewhat menacing, swamp blues evocation rapidly evolves into a piece of utter majesty and the truly beautiful and deceptively complex, rhythmic ambience of Yuri Lugovskoy. Altogether, a wonderfully eclectic companion to Northerner’s original work.