Hidden Shoal Recordings is proud to announce the release of the new freely available EP Night Above Ground by musical experimentalist and long-time Robert Pollard collaborator Todd Tobias, a companion release to acclaimed debut album Medicine Show.
“very familiar and exciting to all the Circus Devils fans out there, perplexing to non-believers and absolutely intriguing for everyone else that gives this record a chance” – The Fire Note on Medicine Show
After years of producing Guided By Voices, playing in Circus Devils with Robert Pollard, and helping to create the music for Pollard’s solo albums, Todd Tobias is striking out on his own, first with the recent release of debut album Medicine Show, and now with the independent release of the freely available companion EP Night Above Ground. In contrast to the full-length album’s serpentine construction and intense atmosphere, Night Above Ground is more airy, accessible and playful, bursting into vivid life with the crowd chatter and tumbling noisescapes of ‘Invocation’. Immersive, hypnotic tracks such as ‘Wandering Giant’ and ‘Crystal Palace People’ alternate with brief, impressionistic pieces such as ‘Workshop of Spears’ and ‘Ashes and Cream’. The EP’s 17 minutes flow past your third eye like a Dali-esque dream.
The Night Above Ground EP is available in digital format as a free download from the Hidden Shoal Store. Medicine Show is also out now through Hidden Shoal in limited edition CD and digital formats.