REVIEW: Grace Scheele – landings (2023) – Live Unboxing Announcement!

GRACE SCHEELE – landings (2023 EP – cassette and download)

I’m a sucker for a pretty tape.  This has to be the prettiest tape I’ve ever seen — and I will be unboxing my copy live today at 1:00 PM E.S.T.!  Limited to 75 copies, I was very happy to participate in a Kickstarter from electroacoustic harpist Grace Scheele.  It’s called landings and, well, I think Grace says it best on her bandcamp:

“landings” centres on the real and imagined experience of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon; wielding bowed harp, electronic fx, and sampling from speeches, newsreels, mission audio, and NASA’s own interviews with those present at the historic newscast.  Ranging from the ethereally ambient to grinding, jarring industrial noise, the seven tracks across this debut EP represents an imagined journey into the darkness of space.

I’d call it a concept EP, based on that alone.  It’s a real listening experience, with elements that remind me of Pink Floyd, Star Trek, and War of the Worlds.  Some of the speeches and dialogue will be familiar, others will be novel.  There are sounds that, in my limited experience, I didn’t know you could make with a harp.  At 22 minutes, landings is easy to digest in a single sitting, and the download comes with a “gapless version” that enables just that.  The layers of harp, samples, and electronic sound build paint a sonic picture.  You can feel the tension of the launch!  I bet this sounds great with headphones.

The track “pomposity” has been getting some exposure, so if you only check out one track, try “pomposity” for a taste of what this is like.

Of course, the cassette itself will be fun once I have it out of the box, and will include three bonus tracks.  You know me and bonus tracks — Can’t wait to hear those!

I can’t wait until I get this tape unboxed, for which I will be joined on a live stream by Grace herself.  We’ll talk about the music, the artwork, the Kickstarter and of course the cassette itself.

Music like this is hard to rate, because I think it’s art, and what’s the point of rating a piece of art?  It either resonates with you or it doesn’t.  I find landings to be an innovative listening experience, unlike anything else in my collection, and I am looking forward to checking it out in different listening environments.  Headphones next, and then this summer, on the front porch of the cottage at sunset.

4.5/5 stars

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34 comments

        10. What I wouldn’t give to see Harrison review that film. You have to talk him into it. You have more power over him than me in matters such as this.

          Liked by 1 person

        18. Get John T. Snow to watch it too. Make it an entire WordPress community review. Or a T-Bone’s writers room story. Like we all watched it for inspiration.

          Liked by 1 person

        24. I can go ask on his site and tell him we all might be doing it for a writer’s room story. He’s an agreeable lad.

          Like

        25. He says comedies aren’t funny because they never surprise you. You expect to laugh, so it’s not funny. I don’t think it’s possible for Freddy Got Fingered not to surprise you.

          Liked by 1 person

        30. That’s true. I love that Tom Green makes no effort to hide his Canadian accent despite the hella American sounding Texan Rip Torn playing his father.

          Liked by 1 person

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