Time Before Land - EP Review
Infectious melodies and rich upbeat soundscapes take you on a journey well worth your while
Noah reviews the self-titled EP from Time Before Land.
The project is Dandenong Ranges musician, composer, and producer Dan Zielinski who uses melodic flutes and a rich assortment of vintage guitars to craft beautiful rich, ambient and upbeat soundscapes that fit somewhere in the sphere or granulated electronica and synth pop. Impressively the recordings were made inexpensively on his iPhone. To compliment, Josh Poole’s polyrhythmic drums add a wonderful flavour and depth which fills out the sound to bring it all together.
This EP was inspired by the exploration of profound personal loss, the importance of memory, movement and a family journey to Japan. In the words of the composer Zielinski, he would like us to experience it like, “A canvas or travel scrapbook from which it explores the power of memory, movement, and the juxtaposition of lightness with the dark - moving forward whilst looking backwards and within”.
1. Nakano Fill
The driving beats and lush sounds build in time to create a journey, like the feeling of walking up a mountain or being on a long train ride; one that is reflective and filled with hope for the future. You can feel the immersive qualities of being in Japan through the field recordings and even the musical sounds feel inspired by the area.
It draws you in allowing you to indulge in something like a mediation as the song ebbs and flows in long form, 7:27 in fact, which is an ambitious start but well worth your time.
It’s hypnotic and filled with great energy with the melding of Dan Zielinski’s guitar and synths beautifully complemented by Josh Poole’s drum patterns. The percussion is also very tasteful adding to the already complex dynamic.
Bass heavy groves and half-time beats combine to bring a joyous track, flowing seamlessly well from Nakano Fill, as the story continues, like a story book would.
The melodies are infectious, and I find them floating in my head days after hearing the track. The percussion is subtle and as the drum grove moves from half-time towards a driving rhythm it keeps you interested and curious.
3. Courageous
After reading the liner notes of this release. I can’t help but feel the emotion in this one, and question whether this track is about working through the profound personal loss, and the confrontation of it. I really appreciate how it allows space and time to build into this intricately crafted gem, accentuated by the flute melody line.
To me the title suggests there was the need to be courageous and music for expression and therapy is a wonderful thing to be able to experience.
4. 34
Temple bells and bird sounds create the tone for this track as it evolves with complex bass lines and cool drum grooves which drive the track onwards and upwards. Washes or Synth spring out and shift and move as it’s hard not to bop your head along to it. I feel like Zelinski finds a great balance in his compositions, exercising restraint when it could easily be too busy allowing space to feel each melody and movement.
5. All Our Love
All Our love is slow ambient piece for the most part but then unravels into an uplifting and upbeat jam. The Japanese spoken word feels emotional with the music as its counterpart perfectly melded with the music. A lot of this EP feels like it could be soundtrack, and this one is no exception.
It’s the perfect way to bring this EP to a close, giving hope for the future and the feeling of contentment of being on a great journey. It’s the end of a story, one of which that leaves you wanting more.
I really look forward to the next Time Before Land Release.
Listen and purchase here
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Information on Richard Bell and his Pay The Rent installations: www.uapcompany.com/projects/richard-bell