Landmine: “Give Me More” brings a spellbinding, and heart-warming feel to the speakers

Parth Relan is an eclectic character; sometimes naive, sometimes sophisticated, somewhat rustic and yet essentially universal in outlook. There a few things he never seems to exhibit: vulgarity, indifference, or ridicule. Instead his music, and that of his group Landmine, displays remarkable breadth, depth and measured ambition.

It is precisely his lack of cynical superiority that makes the music such a treat. Those lengthy, wordy poem-songs, those simple yet complex instrumental arrangements and daunting anti- pop structures could all be so well run-amok ego-trips, but that doesn’t happen. Instead, we are treated to a song cycle so fresh, honest and deep, I often hardly know where to start in describing Landmine’s music.

There is a turmoil going on in popular music, with the advent of the neo-folk movement; Animal Collective, Iron & Wine, The Decemberists and others.  Together these artists comprise a vital school of contemporary music: organic yet lush, in some cases challenging traditional song form, borrowing from the sounds of classic folk and folk rock but assembling them in wholly new ways, and at the same time managing to avoid evoking any of their for-bearers from before the 90’s.

Landmine fall in-between this elite group and alternative indie-rock and pop, taking the best from these worlds and transforming it into something powerful , yet delicate and sublime. “Give Me More” from their 2014 Ep, the “Rising Sun” Ep, being a prime example of the band’s craft.

The instrumentation is truly beautiful and complements the angelic voice wonderfully. The soundscape alternately evokes a sense of abandon, paints fleeting images of hope, and then digs into a rocking groove, as Landmine sings from the first verse:

Arise at dawn
To crashing waves
Another day
a ball and chain

Feet disappear
Into the sand
Into the sand

Fish in a bowl
Doomed to repeat
The same cycle
Week after week

Waiting for
The glass to break
The glass to break

The track brings a spellbinding, and heart-warming feel to the speakers. Clearly Landmine can write, they can arrange and they can sing. Moreover, the one thing one thing that makes this track so delectable is Parth Relan’s pure knowledge of everything he is writing and singing about…you can sense it in the performance.

If you’re new to Landmine and reading this page because you’ve heard something about this band, somewhere, please stop at nothing to get your hands on their music. Landmine have made two great recordings in a row, and “Give Me More” is an extract and perfect summation of what they been up to over the couple of years.

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