Sandra O'Neill - Vocals
Peter Chilvers - Instruments

Produced and Mixed by Letka

Another Town is the fourth track from our debut album, 'Far Off Country', and was the last to be recorded. We'd originally intended the album to be entirely covers, but felt that this track was in keeping with the overall mood.

Far Off Country is available now from <a href="http://www.burningshed.com/store/letka/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Burning Shed</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/far-off-country/id480339234" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>. The opening track, 'Beyond the Fold' features Brian Eno on backing vocals and production.

<i>"Another Town benefits from the kind of sepulchral twang we haven’t heard since Cowboy Junkies removed the bullets from their pistols."</i> <a href="http://www.letka.co.uk/wordpress/?page_id=178" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tony Clayton-Lea, Irish Times</a>

<i>"Another strong release..."</i> <a href="http://www.letka.co.uk/wordpress/?page_id=178" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michael Chilton, Daily Telegraph</a>

Another Town (Full Version)

Sandra O'Neill - vocal
Peter Chilvers - piano
Steve Bingham - violin

Lyrics - Sandra O'Neill
Music - Sandra O'Neill and Peter Chilvers

Recorded in Houghton, 15th November 2011

Photograph by Carl Glover for Aleph

This is an unedited rehearsal recording, and the first time we'd played this track as a trio. Particular credit is due to Steve, who had never heard the track before and pulled an extraordinary performance out of nowhere using only harmonics.

Its structure is extremely loose and open to live interpretation, which makes it one of the most enjoyable tracks to play in our repertoire. Consequently, it keep turning up in new incarnations. It first appeared as the opening track of <a href=http://www.burningshed.com/store/letka/collection/439/>'Storm Blue Evening'</a>, the second album we recorded under the name 'Alias Grace'. Yet another version appears on ambient improvising collective A Marble Calm's "Blue Turns to Grey", released on vinyl only through Tonefloat.

Letka's debut album 'Far Off Country', with a guest appearance from Brian Eno is available now from <a href="http://www.burningshed.com/store/letka/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Burning Shed</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/far-off-country/id480339234" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>.

Feel the Hush

Sandra O'Neill - vocal
Peter Chilvers - instruments

Recorded 17th April 2012

We decided to put out a request on our Facebook page for cover suggestions. This track was written by pianist/arranger Craig Armstrong and Scottish singer Jerry Burns. Elizabeth Fraser recorded a version with Craig Armstrong, and the song was later covered by Bryan Ferry on his 'Slave to Love' compilation.

Many thanks to Rory Walsh for suggesting this track.

Letka's debut album "Far Off Country" is available now from <a href="http://www.burningshed.com/store/letka/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Burning Shed</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/far-off-country/id480339234" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>. The opening track, 'Beyond the Fold' features Brian Eno on backing vocals and production.

This Love

Letka had a previous, more folk-tinged incarnation and released two albums under the name "Alias Grace". Nightshift is taken from the second album, "Storm Blue Evening", which was part of the very first batch of releases on the Burning Shed label.

Sandra O'Neill - vocal, acoustic guitar
Peter Chilvers - piano, fretless bass
Rob Jackson - guitars
Myke Clifford - saxophones

Music & Lyrics - Peter Chilvers / Sandra O'Neill

This album is available as a CDR exclusively from the Letka store at Burning Shed. 

https://www.burningshed.com/store/letka/product/439/2/

Please note that another band has since started recorded under the name Alias Grace. The albums on iTunes are nothing to do with Letka.

Buy CDR

Nightshift (Released as Alias Grace)

Sandra O'Neill - vocals
Steve Bingham - violins
Peter Chilvers - synthesiser, piano, programming

Produced and mixed by Letka

This is a very different take on one of the tracks from our album Far Off Country. The original is very slow and brooding, so we felt like giving this mix a bit more of a pulse. It also features Steve Bingham on violin, who has been playing with us live, as well as on some future tracks we've been working on.

There's now an animated video, created using Xcode and iPad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-VhrULlPwc&feature=plcp

You can listen to an excerpt of the original version of this song here:

http://soundcloud.com/letka_music/banks-of-the-ohio-excerpt

Banks of the Ohio (Remix)

Far Off Country is the debut album from Letka. A collaboration between Irish vocalist Sandra O’Neill and English multi-instrumentalist Peter Chilvers with a guest appearance from Brian Eno, it seamlessly combines Country and Ambient influences in a uniquely ethereal way

From the album’s opening Beyond the Fold, featuring backing vocals and production from Eno, to the epic closing track I Dream a Highway, the six spacious tracks are a seamless blend of original compositions, reinterpreted country songs and cover versions. With rich sensual vocals, treated guitars, pedal steel and electronic textures, Far Off Country is a warm reflection of the desolate landscapes of the Mid West.

Letka’s wide-ranging influences include Beth Gibbons, Elbow, Jane Siberry, Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell and Lambchop. Their previous collaborations include the albums Embers and Nightshift, released as Alias Grace on the Burning Shed label.

Peter Chilvers is best known for creating the acclaimed iPhone applications Bloom and Trope with Brian Eno, with whom he has also worked as a musical and technical assistant on projects including the soundtracks to The Lovely Bones and Spore, the collaboration with David Byrne and the Warp releases “Small Craft on a Milk Sea” and “Drums Between the Bells”. He has regularly collaborated with No-Man vocalist Tim Bowness, most notably on their 2001 album “California, Norfolk”, and more recently as Slow Electric. He has also recorded several solo instrumental albums, and created the improvising collective A Marble Calm.

In addition to her studio albums with Letka, Sandra O’Neill is currently recording her debut solo album showcasing her layered vocals and guitars, and has contributed lead and backing vocals to numerous albums, most recently Jorge Mantas of The Beautiful Schizophonic. Her vocal on A Marble Calm’s cover of I Dream a Highway (Gillian Welch) was described by Brian Eno as “heart-meltingly beautiful”. In 2009 she collaborated with Chilvers on the iPhone app Air. Based on concepts developed by Brian Eno, Air assembles vocal and piano samples into a beautiful, still and ever changing composition, which is always familiar, but never the same.

They will be promoting the album in 2012 with live performances and sessions, joined by violin virtuoso Steve Bingham.



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