These are not just pleasant ambient swirls. Sure, they glitter like Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works, however, there’s a distinctive fragrance that appears and disappears in Eventide Passage‘s engaging wall of sound.
[Release page] Progress through circular looping ambient passages and rolling early morning fog has Off Land’s Eventide Passage slipping by gracefully. “Slow” emits its opening radiance and breaths life into the its neighboring piece—the aptly titled “Thickly Settled.” These are not just pleasant ambient swirls. Sure, they glitter like Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works, however, there’s a distinctive fragrance that appears and disappears in Eventide Passage‘s engaging wall of sound. Delicate slices of field recordings and lightly accented guitars migrate slowly into the sonic spectrum allowing Off Land to expose the beauty and emotion of each creative entity. “Detour” releases an array of low-pressure air bubbles and brisk tones that are both contagious and engulfing. “Road Closed”—which orchestrates a beat-centric groove—clips and skips across the ears as 8-minutes of buzzing tones and balanced drone cascade. “Fog Area” drops a mirror image of its previous outing, a puzzling foray into emotive time shifts. “Speed Limit”—while also balanced with thumping bass-beats—continues its experimental curiosity with an ebb and flow of synthesized rhythm. As Off Land drives through panoramic views of rolling hills and overcast days, there’s a unique assortment of left-field drones and buried melodic sheets to keep the entire album adrift.
Eventide Passage is available on Enpeg. [Release page]
