Revolutionary takes on traditional folk, spliced with music concrète and field recordings along the Thames. This highly acclaimed album (Pitchfork, Quietus, Wire, etc.) is like no other. "All of it has the capacity to make your hair stand on end" - Pitchfork (7.7) // "A thing of rare emotional power." - The Quietus (31st best album of 2022) // "One of the most forward-thinking and original collections of traditional material you’re likely to hear this year, or any year." – FolkRadio // "Marks the arrival of a new generation of politically conscious traditional folk singers" – TradFolk // ‘The Water is the Shovel of the Shore’ is the revelatory new release by the nine-piece contemporary folk group Shovel Dance Collective, an expansive ensemble of multi-disciplinary artists and musicians currently based in London. Comprising members of caroline, Gentle Stranger, as well as accomplished visual artists and solo instrumentalists, Shovel Dance Collective reconceive traditional folk music as an experimental mode of longform composition, encompassing drone, early music, free improvisation, and metal. In the performances and recordings of the collective, the arrangements and lyricism of the folk canon are reinvented, as historically disenfranchised perspectives are placed at the forefront. Predicated on recounts of queer experience, black consciousness, pioneering feminist ideals, and the labour of the working class, the output of Shovel Dance Collective represents an inclusive repository of subversive oral folklore.
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Recommended equipment and accessories
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Audioengine A2 Plus
Precision-engineered 2.75-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter, featuring built-in DAC and Bluetooth connectivity for seamless integration.
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Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge
Features an elliptical stylus that accurately tracks the grooves of vinyl records, delivering a rich, detailed sound with an output voltage of 5.5 mV
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Nobsound Little Bear T7 Tube Preamp
Delivers rich, warm audio through its high-quality vacuum tubes, featuring multiple inputs and adjustable gain
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Technics SL-1500C Turntable
Features a direct-drive motor, a high-precision tonearm, and a premium MM cartridge, delivering exceptional sound quality
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Nagaoka MP-110H Cartridge
Features a high-quality elliptical stylus that provides excellent tracking and minimizes distortion, delivering a detailed sound reproduction with an output voltage of 5.0 mV
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
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Ada Lea when i paint my masterpiece (Ice Ice Baby Blue)
Saddle Creek
August 8, 2025 -
Acumen Nation Transmissions From Eville (30th Anniversary)
Distortion Productions
October 10, 2025 -
Split Chain Motionblur
Epitaph
July 11, 2025 -
Various Artists Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical [2xLP]
Universal UK
July 18, 2025 -
Lorna Shore I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me [2xLP]
Century Media
September 12, 2025 -
The Cranberries No Need To Argue
Island
August 15, 2025 -
Drain ...is Your Friend
Epitaph
November 7, 2025 -
La Dispute No One Was Driving the Car (White/Red/Green) [2xLP]
Epitaph
September 5, 2025 -
Matt Jencik and Midwife Never Die
Relapse
July 11, 2025 -
Igorrr Amen
Metal Blade
September 19, 2025 -
James K Friend [2xLP]
AD 93
September 5, 2025 -
Supertramp Crime Of The Century (Half-Speed)
A&M
August 29, 2025 -
GoGo Penguin Necessary Fictions [2xLP]
Masterworks
July 11, 2025 -
Mayday Parade Monster In The Closet (10th Anniversary; Orchid) [2xLP]
Craft Recordings
July 11, 2025