When traveling long distances inside the borders of Sweden I often choose to go by train. There's something pleasant, if not even soul cleansing, about examining your own thoughts for a few hours without any interference what so ever. My aural companion for the last morning ride through sun-drenched fields and winter-clad landscapes was the last outing from the ever-prolific Connecticut ensemble Landing. It's hard to think of a more suitable sonic companion for all this than "Brocade." Its graceful melodies sound like they were created to flow into my eardrums for this very moment, staring out the window at the rapidly passing landscape. These five tracks shimmer, drone and pulsate repetitiously through 54 minutes of dense ambient fog, Krautrock rhythms and hushed drone pop/rock. The mood is mostly subdued though with guitar notes dropping like cosmic rain into a whirlpool of black wind and exploding in multiple directions simultaneously.

Effect-laden electronics, treated guitars, minimal basslines and drums create a sound that not might be the most original in the world but as its all packed with anxiety, dislocation and alienation it?s simply impossible to escape. This is mostly instrumental spaciousness of the most soothing variety, and quite indispensable as far as this sort of thing goes. 8/10 -- Mats Gustafsson (29 June, 2006)