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What the Press are saying about Wonderment

"Music so damn smooth it's like butter for your ears"

- Edmonton Vue Weekly

"fuller, bluesier (in a Pink Floyd way) and more seductive than before"

- The Province

"lush textures... cool, laid back appeal"

- popjournalism.com

"subtly beautiful and melodic"

- about.com

Monday Magazine - Victoria BC

The release of any album can be seen as a birth of sorts, but Hamish Thomson took things a bit more literally when it came to his latest effort. Thomson, better known to most audiences as The Hermit, took the cue for his second album-Wonderment-from the birth of his son. "It was all inspired by how everything unfolded," he recalls, "the unknown journey of his birth and that wonderment I saw in his eyes as he started growing up and seeing things for the first time. It really made me step back and appreciate the small things." And ironically-or perhaps cosmically-it turns out that Wonderment was released the day after his second child was born. "That was some incredible synchronicity," the Vancouver-based Thomson laughs.

Timing isn't the only good thing at work here, however. Wonderment is a solid piece of 21st century musicianship, drawing from both Thomson's experiences in the electronica community and his history as an established session drummer. "I was definitely into approaching this album more as solid songwriting than ambient soundscapes," he explains. "The first Hermit record [Flying Out Of Solitude] didn't have a lot of lyrics-the music just flowed from track to track-while this one is more structured." Wonderment also features some great supporting work from the likes of Daniel Lapp, Martina Sorbara, Sekoya's Amalia Townsend and Frazey Ford of The Be Good Tanyas.

"We're very much a live band," he explains. "I really want people to know it's not just a DJ project. With the first record, a lot of people thought it was all programmed beats; then they'd come see the band and go, 'Whoa.' So I'm trying to make sure people know we're a live, five-person band, we're touring, we'll have visuals behind us . . . it's a full experience."

Last seen locally as part of JazzFest 2003, if things follow the other cities on their current B.C. tour, expect a diverse crowd when The Hermit creeps into Lucky Bar Monday night. "We're finding we're getting success from multiple genres with this album, from people into different styles of music," he says. "It seems to bridge the gap between generations somehow-being a live band, but also being based in chill-out electronica style." And how does he feel about leaving the young 'uns at home? "My wife's and my opinion is that this is all meant to be and we need to embrace the situation," Thomson chuckles. "If I don't go out touring and give it a good shot, I'd resent it down the road, you know what I mean? I'm not going to take off for six months at this point, but a couple of weeks here and there . . . that's totally fine, we can make it work."

Now that's a cool daddy to have.

Dead Earnest Wonderment Review

The Canadian Nettwerk label has been releasing quality music of an ambient-heavenly vocal-industrial nature for three decades and from Moev to Delerium has released music of the finest calibre on an alarmingly regular basis. Now, I'm happy to report, they've done it again, with this second album from a Canadian drummer-ambient artist who's created an album consisting of four instrumentals and six songs - all the songs delivered by female vocalists - that is totally and utterly gorgeous while, at the same time (and hardly surprising considering this multi-instrumentalist's first instrument is drums) is solid and rhythmic but in such a magical way. In many ways, that's the key to the success of the album - the attention to detail on the rhythmic side is just awesome, with electronic drums, deep bass and electronic rhythms all booming out to astoundingly beautiful effect while over the top of the rhythmic heart of the album, all manner of textural, spacey, melodic and galaxian electronics, synths, keyboards, guitars and fx are poured over the mix with the loving attention of a chef preparing his signiature dish. The songs are sublime - not one less than utterly engaging with Machlachlan-esque vocals so prevalent, the higher register voices soaring out like birds in flight, over backing that range from delicious ambient to chunky downtempo, multi-layered masses of synths and strings and guitars coming in and out at intervals to remarkable effect on a track such as 'Flutterbye' as the solo and harmony vocals rise up to heart-racing extent - and just magnificent. 'Won't Fall Apart' is a more dubby song featuring male and female vocal while 'Sir Real' is a magical, chunky, full-sounding song full of strings, lilting beats, huge expansive soundscapes and delightfully strong female vocals that take lead and harmony roles to seeming effortless and natural effect, as the track intensifies and layers in magnificent sounding fashion. The five minute 'Galaxies Collide' is a truly sublime song, full of layers and textures, with a jazzy ambience, a dubby flavour, as chilled-out beats of dynamic strength vie with all manner of instrumental textures to create a truly heavenly track. The song 'Clear Voyage' is the most uptempo track on the album with a gorgeous female vocal half-buried in the mix on the harmonies and gorgeously upfront on the lead sections, as this combination of rhythms, synths and huge-sounding expanses of instruments just takes off to high-flying effect. Overall, a stunning album that you simply can't fault.

Raves.com

When the first gentle warmth of the titular track on The Hermits Wonderment embraces you, you enter an instant state of transcendence, transported perhaps to a floating place in another universe. Soothing ambient melodies and soft siren song call out to the soul. Journey of the Dot utilizes some of the chilled groove aspects of artists like Enigma or Amethystium and Flutterbye laces its morphine beats with deep-under-the-ocean ambience and lulling and innocently sultry vocals. Suspension expands the consciousness with its more-euphoric-than-heaven quietude and Wont Fall Apart strangely infuses its sound with a hint of southwestern hip-hop (extremely laid back of course). Palpitations returns to southwest gothic, minus the hipness and plus a nice piano line. Sir Real is a luscious bit of subtle and stoned electropop. Galaxies Collide caresses with its irresistable cool grooves (which obliquely reference reggae rhythms) and Clear Voyage dwells in offbeat territory that reminds one of The Cardigans odder efforts. Finally, Dawn of the Apple Farm rounds out this batch of tracks with its sci-fi-ish space music quirk. A solid, explorative expression of chilled tunes.

POPJOURNALISM.COM

The Hermit is keyboardist and percussionist Hamish Thomson, but on his sophomore disc, Wonderment, he brings his touring band along to fill out his electronic soundscapes. Even with all the lush textures in Wonderment, it never sounds cluttered, in fact all the instruments have breathing room in the final mix — including piano, electric/acoustic and pedal steel guitar, banjo, live strings, and even an oil can — giving the record a cool, laid back appeal. Keeping with tradition in the electronic genre, Hermit collaborates with many different vocalists including Martina Sorbara, Allison Shevernoha of Paper Moon and C.R. Avery and Frazey Ford of the The Be Good Tanyas. Each artist works with songs that compliment their unique talents, mixing Hermit's sound with hard rock beats and even country raps. The Hermit makes you feel music, but one word of advice, wear headphones to fully enjoy the sounds of Wonderment. (Nettwerk)

About.com

Harmish Thomson began his early professional career as a drummer for various independent bands, and was inevitably influenced by an assortment of progressive artists such as The Police, U2, Eno, Bob Marley, among others. His imagination eventually led him to create the first Hermit album entitled Flying out of Solitude. The album was impressive enough to grab the attention of Nettwerk, and now Thomson is preparing for the release of his sophomore works.

Listening to Hamish Thomson's new album Wonderment for the first time is much like seeing Pink Floyd perform live - you never know what to expect. Unlike the first album, which was a pure solo effort by Thompson, Wonderment is performed with Hermit bandmates and guests wielding an array of vocalization and instruments, often times taking on unusual items such as triangles and toaster ovens. The mostly electric/eclectic sound of the album is held together by the creative tone of the compositions, the variety of instruments utilized, and remarkably accented by all of the guest vocalists involved (Martina Sorbara, Shelly Campbell, among others).

The album begins with the title track Wonderment, which is a subtly beautiful and melodic work comparable to a child's downtempo lullaby. Although the works are filled with expert harmonious precision and splendor, the collection of compositions can range anywhere from soaring Floydish tones to Eno and Orbital-reminiscent electro darkness.

The lyrics are catchy (Wonderment, Sir Real), the production is inventive, and overall, the album should be well accepted by even the electroskeptical.

TOLEDOBLADE.COM

("WONDERMENT." The Hermit. Nettwerk)

The Hermit - Hamish Thomson - emerges with a disc of rich melodies, a smooth blending of rock and electronica influences and instrumentation, and a strong dynamic. Using several guest vocalists, The Hermit nevertheless retains an overall musical focus, and in the process creates an enticing CD.

Tracks like "Journey of the Dot," an instrumental with a light funk/rock rhythm and insistent, repeated melody line; downtempo and rock-oriented "Flutterbye," and laid back and bluesy - with smooth slide guitar and smoky spoken vocal - "Won't Fall Apart," are contrasts in musical styles yet don't clash.

"Wonderment" is due for release March 1.

What the Press said about Flying Out Of Solitude

Modern Drummer Magazine

Here's an unexpected delight. Canadian multi-instrumentalist Hamish Thomson, aka The Hermit, might be holed up indoors, but obviously it's time well spent. Like the work of compatriot Ryan Moore (Twilight Circus Dub Sound System), Flying Out Of Solitude emits none of that clinical hospital odor a lot of one-man-band recordings do. In fact, the grooves are so deep; it's hard to believe this is simply the result of extensive overdubbing. A mix of ambient, dub, and Tortoise-ian post-rock, Hermit music works as ultra-cool chill-out sounds, but holds up to analysis. My guess is that Thomson is a drummer first and a composer second; he plays quite well, and the songs are love slaves to the rhythm. This is future groove music real players can dig.

The Hermit Flying Out of Solitude

The Hermit is basically the one-man project of Hamish Thomson who was assisted by a few friends in the creation of Flying Out of Solitude. As has been the case with all Nutone releases thus far, there was no publicity photo or press release accompanying this release. We like this idea, as it forces lazy reviewers to actually pay attention and focus on the music rather than extraneous variables. Fortunately for artists like The Hermit, there really is no need for a sales pitch in the first place...as the music easily sells itself. This CD is chock full of wonderfully esoteric recordings...and despite the fact that you never know what will come next, the album has a nice overall sense of continuity. Don't quote us on this, but we are relatively certain these tracks feature live drums (a rarity in the world of one-man recording). The album is mostly instrumental, but vocals do manage to creep in and out of a few tunes. Mr. Thomson's music ranges from dub to ambient to mood music to dance to world music to electronic experimentation. And in every genre that he explores, this man does it up right. Our own particular favorites here are the swirling "Driving In Solitude," the R&B influenced "Trap 9," and the strange gravitation of "Sunset Trail." This album will most likely mean a great many things to a great many people because it covers so much territory. A superb release that will stand the test of time...

The Hermit Flying Out of Solitude

The Hermit is an apt name for Hamish Thomson as is the title of his debut album. He literally locked himself away for weeks back to back and when he finally emerged from the studio it was like he was Flying out of Solitude. He had an album of his own original material that he wanted to share with the world. For the most part, you will find the Hermit's music mellow and downtempo; sometimes even dark. The Hermit tries to lure you into a trance like state at times and then wakes you up with a bit of a tempo change. He calls his music organic electronica but I would say that organic may be a poor description. Ambient electronica might suit his music better. The tracks are mostly instrumental; you will find far off vocals in only two tracks. The Hermit has made a great album for chilling out to. This Vancouver, BC artistwill very likely gain a lot of international exposure with Flying Out of Solitude. Try if you like Brian Eno, Air.

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