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Accidental Pictures

by Ruud Houweling

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    The package is printed on the uncoated reverse side of the cardboard with a matte UV proof finish, giving it a pleasant texture. For contrast the booklet is printed on coated paper with a glossy finish. Shrink wrapped for protection.

    * Note: a standard package can contain 1-4 albums at the same shipping costs.
    ** Shipping costs may vary slightly within Europe, and will be reduced accordingly.
    Prices for shipping with a Track & Trace code are shown. Shipping without such a code only saves about € 2,-

    Includes unlimited streaming of Accidental Pictures via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Quality vinyl pressing in a sturdy sleeve. The cover is printed on the uncoated reverse side of the cardboard with a matte UV proof finish. For contrast the inner sleeve is printed on coated paper with a glossy finish and shows all lyrics and some pictures from the recording sessions. Shrink wrapped for protection.

    * Note: a standard package can contain 1-3 albums at the same shipping costs.
    ** Shipping costs may vary slightly within Europe, and will be reduced accordingly.
    Prices for shipping with a Track & Trace code are shown. Shipping without such a code only saves about € 2,-

    Includes unlimited streaming of Accidental Pictures via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    shipping out on or around December 2, 2024
    edition of 209 
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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 3 Ruud Houweling releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Accidental Pictures, The Wind Just Blew a Day Away EP, and Erasing Mountains. , and , .

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1.
On a Clear Day 04:30
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2.
Seeing the Ocean 03:42
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3.
I'll Always Believe in You 03:40
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4.
The Way Home 03:07
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5.
The Bigger Picture 04:47
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6.
Secret Wounds 04:10
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7.
Accidental Pictures 04:03
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8.
Feeling Alright 04:18
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9.
Heavy Rain 04:59
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10.
The Same Mistakes 03:22
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11.
Apricity 02:45
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about

The sun is shining, the tall grass is waving directions and, with elegant strokes, the tail of a barn swallow is painting its slow and winding flight. That’s the imagery in the title track of Accidental Pictures, the new album by Ruud Houweling, the follow up to his acclaimed Erasing Mountains (2017). With the alternative folk on that record he’d found a new musical direction, born from the heartfelt need to create a contemporary sound that beholds something of its geographic origin.

The layered songs, constructed around the guitar playing and vocal, move on emphatic grooves, while tuba, trombone, clarinet and viola add subtle acoustic European flavors, from both folk and classical music (Fauré, Debussy, Weill). His sixth studio album (four under the Cloudmachine moniker) is an eclectic singer-songwriter record in which you may hear slight influences from Paul Simon, Randy Newman or Tom Waits, that breathes authenticity.

On Accidental Pictures a son is letting go of his father. In On a Clear Day, the opening track, they’re standing next to each other in a dream, on the bridge across the river they once lived on. Together they’re picking up the shadow of the suffocating religion that has damaged the father as a child, that he’s just managed to free himself of, hoisting it into the river. Free at last, the father crosses the bridge. Bass, drums and guitar represent the flowing river. Viola and pump organ conjure up images of calming reflections in the water. In Secret Wounds they walk though their old street. Going through the past, the son realizes he’s able to see his father completely, but his father can’t see him in the same way.

Above all though, this is a feel good record. Written from a longing for light in a time of uncertainty. Everything seems to have changed, looking back amazed by the coincidences of existence and the inevitable temporality of it. There’s a pleasant distance to the world. It’s about seeing why you’ve become who you are, understanding others better at the same time. And, free from the pull of old desires, asking oneself, “where am I, where to next?’

Houweling again helmed the production himself. He recorded the foundation of the songs with Rob Wijtman on drums and Egon Kracht on double bass. The remaining parts were almost entirely recorded played ensemble, by the same musicians who were responsible for the strong chemistry on the previous album.

credits

released September 29, 2023

Ruud Houweling: vocals, guitars, percussion
Egon Kracht: double bass, pump organ
Rob Wijtman: drums, percussion
Patrick Votrian: tuba, cimbaso, euphonium
Kobi Arditi: trombone
Michiel van Dijk: clarinet
Ro Krauss: viola

David Faber: cello on track 6, 11
Libby DeCamp: harmony vocals on track 1, 9
Rik Cornelissen: accordion on track 5

Written, arranged and produced by Ruud Houweling

Recorded at E-Sound, Weesp The Netherlands, engineered by Thomas Cochran
Vocals, additional guitars and viola recorded by Ruud Houweling,
Zandvoort, The Netherlands
Pump organ recorded at EP Service Studio, Schagen, The Netherlands
engineered by Ruud and Marcel Groot
Accordion recorded at Rik Cornelissen's studio, Middelaar, The Netherlands

Mixed at Flora Recording, Portland, OR, USA
Engineered by Oz Fritz
Special thanks to Tucker Martine
Mastered by Howie Weinberg, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Vinyl manufactured by Record Industry, Haarlem The Netherlands

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Ruud Houweling Zandvoort, Netherlands

Ruud Houweling quietly established a reputation in the Netherlands as a fine and genre-transcending artist. As guitar playing singer-songwriter with his former band Cloudmachine and now solo. But also as a composer for Dutch national public television, NPO. His songs have been recorded by international artists with awards in Germany, USA, Finland, Russia, and the Czech Republic. ... more

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