by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
2018 marks the 20th anniversary of Connecticut psych wanderers Landing, and the band are back once again to celebrate with their latest album, Bells In New Towns. The record, due out May 4th via El Paraiso Records, once again finds the band working their unique blend of krautrock, shoegaze, and psych deep into other realms of existence. Expanding minds and disrupting any genre limits previously placed on the band, their heavy driving music is both propulsive and dreamy, often simultaneously. While the band have wrestled with cohesion at times throughout their sprawling catalog (which includes releases on K Records and Ba Da Bing) due to their propensity for experimentation, Bells In New Towns is a magnificent work with a singular vision as its core, even if said vision is often seen in kaleidoscopic light.
"Nod" is both the lead single and album opener, a tremendous new introduction to both die-hard fans and newcomers alike. The band's spaced-out prog is focused and drifting; locked in to its own crushing low end drone and the motorik rhythms that pound away with relentless precision. Produced by Justin Pizzoferrato (Dinosaur Jr., Elder, Krill), there's a clarity to their mesmerizing layers, with each texture finding its own place in the headphones. The song balances dark and ominous tonality with slightly muffled, soft, and fuzzy vocals from both Adrienne and Aaron Snow. It's a masterwork of gorgeous intensity from a veteran band that has explored it all, and continue to push forward toward a new reality.
Landing's Bells In New Towns is out May 4th via El Paraiso Records.