“SPACEY BEAUTIFUL FOLK” – ROLLING STONE

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TRACKLIST

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Credits:

Artwork – Rutger Zuydervelt

Mastered By – Francesco Donadello

Performer – Chantal Acda, Chris Eckman, Eric Thielemans

Recorded By, Mixed By – Phill Brown

Written By – Chantal Acda, Chris Eckman, Eric Thielemans

Son

Still on the loose

Cold summer wood

This Place

You were done

Distance, Light & Sky

Souls

Riding Shotgun

Western Avenue B

50’s Song

WATCH & LISTEN

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Story

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In times when the newest musical pig is driven through the village every month, the debut of Distance, Light & Sky stands out pleasantly from the crowd. Timeless, sublime are the ten songs the band recorded at analogue Prague’s Sono Studios under the direction of the legendary Phill Brown (who has forever secured his place in the Hall of Fame since the production of Talk Talk’s “Spirit of Eden”). With his songwriting, Chris Eckman ties in with the best times of the Walkabouts, although this is by no means “another” Eckman solo or side project, on the contrary, Distance, Light & Sky are one band, one unit.

Eckman is joined by the incredibly talented Dutch/British singer and songwriter Chantal Acda , who has already provided various highlights with the Isbells, but also solo, so her last year’s album “Let Your Hands Be My Guide” recorded with Nils Frahm and Peter Broderick (Efterklang) was also given a 4 star review by MOJO (“Exquisite. As soft as snow”), as well as by the second major English music magazine, Uncut, with the rarely awarded 8 out of 10 stars and the simple but apt conclusion “Starry-eyed beauty”. Distance, Light & Sky is rounded off and becomes a trio by the classically trained Belgian percussionist and composer Eric Thielemans, not unknown to insiders through the EARR Ensemble (Ensemble Artist Repertoire Research) or his collaboration with the legendary Sun Ra saxophonist Marshall Allen. How and under what circumstances these three musicians came together would go beyond the scope of this info and is ultimately not important. What is important is that they found each other and that out of this moment a band was born, in which three musicians with completely different backgrounds but a common vision will work together in the long run.

The first result is “Casting Nets”, an album on which calm tones predominate. However, the ten songs on “Casting Nets” prove most impressively that “quiet” is not the same as “uniform”. Nuanced, rich in detail and shaped by the different characters of the three songwriters Eckman, Acda and Thielemans, a pleasant tension develops, melancholic and yet always with an optimistic undertone. Thanks to Phill Brown’s unique recording technique, it is also an exceptionally enjoyable sound. Just like, by the way, finally experiencing Chris Eckman’s sonorous baritone in a duet with a great female voice again. But what fascinates most is the fact that the three have managed to pour all their different backgrounds into a homogeneous, deeply harmonious sound that radiates a unique relaxation and captivates the listener from the first to the last note in the most pleasant way .

Distance, Light & Sky open up new horizons, pull the gray veil of everyday life from your ears and not only fill the autumn and winter evenings with cozy warmth. “Casting Nets” has become an album that is as unspectacular as it is beautiful and has a long half-life. We are happy to welcome this new band and already know that great things are about to happen!