Landscape Tracks

Landscape Tracks is the solo debut from HiM and Sorts guitarist Joshua Larue, and though the album presses on from the world post-rock efforts of the aforementioned bands, it's somewhat less influenced by dub. Larue instead focuses on bouncy, jazz-inflected instrumentals — "Skunked," for example, sounds like Tortoise improvising on traditional instruments. "Mad on the Subway" is a smooth dub jam with a rant by Damon Locks, but the funky repetition of "Cloud Floatain," which eventually transitions into sparkling, David Grubbs-esque guitar introspection, is more indicative of the record's overall vibe. Landscape Tracks is both dreamy and grounded at the same time, with earthly rhythms that loop and float as they gently carry listeners into an altered state. Still, Larue's debut lacks the propulsive structures and feeling of inherent motion present in Tortoise, Jim O'Rourke, Stereolab, or other like-minded post-rockers, and listeners' attention might waiver. In the end, Landscape Tracks is far from a rocking album, but the subtle textures make for a new generation of bachelor-pad music for cocktail parties.