“One of America’s finest songwriters… emotional depths with an opalescent beauty.” – Americana UK

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TRACKLIST

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Credits:

Chris Eckman – vocals & acoustic guitar, electric rhythm guitar (2), feedback guitar (4), synth (4)

Alastair McNeill – electric guitar (2,4,5,7) acoustic guitar (3), nylon acoustic guitar (6), percussion (4, 6), electric cello (3), hammond (4)

Žiga Golob – contrabass (all tracks)

Blaž Celarec – drums (2,4,5,7), percussion (4)

Jana Beltran – vocals (1,2,4,6), piano (1)

Ana Kravanja – viola (3), water bowls (7), vocals (8)

Urška Preis – harp (8), harp drones / fx (7)

Catherine Graindorge – violin & viola (1)

Rok Zalokar – piano (8)

Andraž Mazi – pedal steel (6)

Boštjan Simon – baritone sax (5)

Produced by Alastair McNeill

Genevieve

Town Lights Fade

Running Hot

Buttercup

Laments

Haunted Nights

The Cranes

Last Train Home

WATCH & LISTEN

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Story

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‘The Land We Knew the Best’ took shape in early 2022, when Eckman set out to write new songs: “I don’t really write in fits and starts, I tend to have concentrated periods of writing. I was glad this didn’t take eight years to get going, like the last one. I’d found something of a different voice doing ‘Where the Spirit Rests’ and it was still there when I picked up the guitar again.”

But a lot has changed, a lot of time has passed, and Eckman’s surroundings have also changed. The songs on ‘The Land We Knew the Best’ are no longer about the neglected landscapes of the American West. Chris Eckman lived in Ljubljana, Slovenia, for many years, and the city, as well as the mountainous and densely forested nature that surrounds it, had a strong influence on him.

The diverse structures on ‘The Land We Knew the Best’ are marked by a raw but undeniable beauty: dark atmospheres, distorted crescendos, profound narratives, and moments of silence. It is an album of memory, heart, and hope. An extended walk through the landscapes Chris Eckman knows best.