From the fertile, album-birthing hips of Landing comes the Fade In/Fade Out EP, the Connecticut group's umpteenth release in 2002. The year's exhausting tally so far consists of one album, three EPs, and a single still on the way, not to mention a national tour and a slot at Terrastock 5 for good measure. What's remarkable is not so much the musical avalanche itself from a numbers standpoint, but rather the diversity and sheer quality of the band's considerable output: looking at another recent release, the 2002 Tour EP, the extended, largely vocal-free pieces on Fade In/Fade Out make both an excellent counterpoint and companion to that record, which showcases a more sparse, song-oriented approach.
From a purely economic standpoint, five tracks, 37 minutes means big bang for buyers' bucks. But the band's kindness doesn't end at Joe/Jane Music Fan's wallet: making the reviewer's job that much easier, two titles on this record explicitly mention water, so we're 100% justified in trotting out the aquatic terminology that gets (over-) used when discussing music of this sort. The gentle sonic attack of "Forest Ocean Sound" ebbs and flows, as guitars wash over the listener from both channels before receding in the face of low synth-noise and humming feedback. Effects-laden guitars and pitter-patter synthesizer give "Against the Rain" an appropriate sunshower-esque feel, and "Whirlwind" features a slow-moving tidal wave of sound over which Adrienne Snow's vocals float.
Lacking traditional song structures and bordering on minimal, the disc is of a more ambient nature than this year's Seasons LP or the aforementioned 2002 Tour EP. But mere sonic wallpaper this is not, as carefully interwoven instrumental parts and savvy production both demand and reward attentive listening. Check out the burbling keyboards that hover underneath the guitars of "Against the Rain," the beautiful acoustic that closes out "Constellations" with a sudden stereo pan, and the subtle buzzes and drones that rush in and out of "Pulse."
All signs point to a coming lull in the relentless Landing release schedule (following the unleashing of the New Found Land split LP with Yellow 6 and Rothko), so now's as good a time as any to catch up on and fully digest this year's crop. Tasty stuff all, and very necessary.
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