Isobel Anderson – Chalk / Flint

Limitation begets creativity, that seems to be the theme of this interesting record from Isobel Anderson. Going through a period of tendonitis, Anderson was unable to write or play guitar, so songs were left to bubble and percolate in her head for weeks – 'My body is listening, it's thinking all of my thoughts,' she sings on Effortless Pain Relief. When they were given life, they were richer, more involved, and more complex than perhaps they would have otherwise been.

There's a real sense of space on Chalk / Flint. The evoking of the ocean helps, but sonically, everything feels a little out of reach – lyrics hang in mid-air, songs wash in and out of focus. It makes for a record that, while lacking immediacy, warrants repeat listens. Feed Me is one track that does leap out, a lush, grooving bassline underscoring a bittersweet melody. 

While the work and thought that's undeniably gone into Chalk / Flint makes it a really evocative, ambitious, and captivating album, it also makes it a hard one to really love. Anderson's voice at its purest is clear as a bell, and glides effortlessly through folk-influenced trills, but often it gets lost in the production. In a live setting, or as part of an installation, these songs could blow you away. As it is, sometimes it's more like a breeze. 

Listen to: Feed Me, _4284_