landing: third sight

Connecticut's Landing have specialized in a mild and rural kind of psychedelia since the late '90s; they have since moved closer to post-punk and shoegaze territory, but Third Sight -- recorded specifically for El Paraiso Records' Impetus series -- builds on the hallucinatory soundscapes of the band's earliest days. There's a unique sense of motoric drift to these four long pieces, and an organic blend of rock instrumentation and analog electronics that brings to mind Eno's best collaborations in the 1970s. But the group's flair for fuzzy drones and commune-folk also betrays their affiliation with the experimental American east coast scene -- these guys have played shows with their friends in Bardo Pond, released a split EP with Windy & Carl, and played numerous Terrastocks throughout their existence. And despite releasing one brilliant album after another, the band remains appallingly underappreciated. Perhaps because the tryyps Landing take are rooted in self-exploration. As trends in krautrock, drone, folk, and psychedelia ebb and flow, Landing remain unfazed. The door to Landing's world is open, but there isn't a flashing neon sign above it. These guys are far removed from the hustle and bustle of geographic cultural bubbles, both physically and spiritually. Listening through this LP is likely to stimulate mental images of rural winds blowing across vast American fields of grass, bonfires, blue rivers and power lines sailing through rolling hills. Landing's psychedelia possesses a rare timelessness.