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New Haven, CT’s Landing – formed in Orem, UT in 1998 by married co-vocalists Aaron and Adrienne Snow – have been busy since their 2012 “comeback” following a six-year recording hiatus (five, if you count the couple’s 2007 LP As As, under the moniker Paper). In addition to releasing an eponymous eighth album and the quick follow-up Wave Lair EP, they embarked on a two-week, 15th anniversary tour in the summer of 2013. To mark the occasion, and to capture the spirit of their late ’90s DIY days, this five-song cassette EP was sold at the shows. (Those curious about those shows should beeline to Bandcamp for Landing Live Volume II, an hour-long document of the tour.) But II’s far from being a fan-only novelty item – in fact, it suffers no drop-off in quality from their previous releases. What distinguishes Landing’s dreampop/ambient sound are the post-punk touches that often gurgle beneath the surface, creating a one-two punch of shimmering beauty and simmering tension.
On the bracing standout “Two Veils,” skittering percussion, baying synths, voluminous guitars, and Daron Gardner’s grinding, buzzsaw basslines all immerse themselves around Aaron’s cloudy, calming vocals. Elsewhere, the slow-building closer “Sphere II” – a remake of their 2004 fifth album’s title track – unites pretty, glistening guitars with jet engine-propulsive rhythms and muted male/female voices, while Adrienne’s saintly, lullaby-like coo highlights the hypnotic opener “Gathering.” The EP is rounded out with back-to-back Slowdive-esque shoegazers “Tending and Time” and “Cyst,” both as peaceful and pacifying as gently crashing waves on a secluded beach. And while Landing’s current style is more accessible than more droney, experimental early LPs like 2001’s Oceanless, their production still retains the slightly submerged, yet sonorous feel of old. As the group prepares their ninth LP, II provides yet another reason we’re glad to have them back.
