Shards

Shards is an experimental vocal ensemble based in London. After a successful collaboration with Terry Riley in 2016, singer, composer and producer Kieran Brunt was asked by the Barbican centre to form a choral group for Nils Frahm’s Possibly Colliding festival that summer. Following the success of the festival’s shows with Frahm, Anna von Hausswolff and Wildbirds and Peacedrums, the group were enlisted for a number of recording projects. Frahm invited Brunt to join him in Berlin and collaborate on the choral arrangements for his recent All Melody LP, which Shards recorded in his Funkhaus studio over a series of sessions. They went on to collaborate on Michael Price’s ambitious Tender Symmetry record and Masayoshi Fujita’s Book of Life LP, both released to critical acclaim in 2018. Over the course of these collaborations, the group has been developing a distinctive sound and creative energy between them. Adept at blending their voices with both acoustic and electronic textures, they were signed Erased Tapes and commissioned to make a record of their own. Find Sound - released August 30th 2019 - is an album of all-new, original pieces composed and produced by Kieran Brunt. The pieces are intended to be miniature sonic paintings, with each adding to an overall picture of the emotional confusion of early adulthood: the uncertainty, the excitement, the terror and the relief. The album’s narrative dwells upon the internal dramas we face when growing up, and how each person figures out their place in a world that seems to be spiralling more and more out of control. Combining voices, synths and drums, the album was developed with Erased Tapes’ founder Robert Raths and features additional production from Paul Corley (Sigur Ros, Anohni, Ben Frost, Yves Tumour). It was recorded in Italy at Palazzo Stabile, a tranquil house and studio in the hills of the Piedmontese countryside. During a two-week residency, the group lived and recorded together under one roof, giving them the to play with recording techniques and experiment with different spaces. Most of the final record was recorded in a converted barn used primarily as a painting studio, and underneath the house in a 200 year-old wine cellar. Each of the singers in Shards brings a very distinctive musical personality to the group, something which Brunt was eager to emphasise on their debut record. Rather than aiming for seamless blend or absolute precision when recording, he highlighted the differences between voices, celebrating their unique textures and inviting the listener to hear their minutest details up-close. Shards is Kieran Brunt, Lucy Cronin, Sarah Latto, Bethany Horak-Hallett, Kate Huggett, Chris Huggon, Jack Lawrence-Jones, Rose Martin, Augustus Perkins Ray, Oli Martin-Smith, Josephine Stephenson and Héloïse Werner. "I sing, write music for and direct the vocal group, Shards. The group is made up of some my closest friends and musical collaborators. Many of the group not only sing but compose, conduct and play in bands too. The last couple of years has seen us collaborate and perform with Nils Frahm, Alex Somers, Jónsi, Paul Corley, Michael Price, Luke Howard, Masayoshi Fujita, Anna von Hausswolff and Wildbirds & Peacedrums. Our debut album FIND SOUND, comprising new songs & pieces that blend voices with drums and electronic instruments will be released on Erased Tapes on August 30th 2019." ----Kieran Brunt