The Sparkle In Our Flaws
Introducing the new album The Sparkle In Our Flaws from Belgium based, Dutch-born musician and songwriter Chantal Acda, released on 25th Sept. via Glitterhouse Records. Like a combination of This Is The Kit playing Laughing Stock period Talk Talk (Chantal is a self confessed Mark Hollis devotee), The Sparkle In Our Flaws exists somewhere between waking and sleeping. Soporific, yet completely awake, the compositions are slow to reveal themselves and the arrangements are simple and sparse, allowing room for Chantal’s haunting voice to breathe. Alongside the heartfelt, melancholy vocal the album features a subtle yet intricate mix of strings, synths, drums and shifting backing harmonies, creating a constantly morphing and coherent spectrum of sound. A sound that includes moments that recall composers such as Nils Frahm and Philip Glass set against the songwriting framework of greats such as Joni Mitchell.
The Sparkle In Our Flaws was written in-between the touring of Chantal’s previous solo album Let Your Hands Be My Guide (2013) and features star musical collaborators such as multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick (known for his solo work on labels such as Bella Union and Erased Tapes and from his work with Efterklang), Shahzad Ismaily (a regular collaborator of Lou Reed, Tom Waits and Bonnie Prince Billy) and acclaimed Icelandic producer/musician Valgeir Sigurdsson.
Inspiration for the album title came from the magical setting where the recordings took place – The Sparkle Studio in Pacific City (Oregon) and also from the vulnerability that is exposed within these recordings: played and captured in the moment, it celebrates the beauty of perfect imperfection.
As one half of Sleepingdog, Chantal has already produced three widely acclaimed albums, the most recent of which being With Our Heads in the Clouds and Our Hearts in the Fields (2010) for which she collaborated with Adam Wiltzie (Stars of the Lid, A Winged Victory For The Sullen). She has previously toured in the UK with Lambchop, Low and Calexico.