Tim Coster - Landing
CDR from Half/theory (HALF06)
Archived item from CLaudia
1. Inaccurate
2. Sms
3. Landing
4. Newest Blackberry
5. Rooftop
6. Inland Sea
Recorded in Auckland, New Zealand, September - October 2005.
Half/theory is delighted to present our first release by an international artist - New Zealander Tim Coster's beautiful album "Landing". Following on from several releases on labels such as PseudoArcana, CMR and CLaudia (Coster's own label which specialises in field recordings), Landing mines a deep vein of music from the fields of 'ambient', but far away from the clichés of both 'lite' and 'dark' soundscape work and with a definite nod towards the field-recording school. Sourced from a refined blend of field recordings, processed instruments and electronics, these pieces are at first deceptively simple, but closer listening reveals layers of complexity lurking beneath apparently static surfaces.
Tim Coster is a new breed of field recordist. Not content to simply present a collection of sonic holiday snaps, yet not effecting his material to the point of digital abstraction, Coster's compositions always maintain distinct hints of identifiable sounds which create (rather than document) a genuine sense of space and place.
Although his extensive instrumentation is listed on the cover (everything from computer to birthday candle to the mysterious 'soundclub') Coster blends electronics and instruments so effectively that to identify source material becomes difficult and irrelevant. This record is soft enough to lull a listener into sleep, but not without some quite harsh textures and tones buried deep within each piece. There is a beautiful grasp of dynamics present here. Subtle shifts in the pieces invite the listener into a kind of hypnotic state, and sparse interjections demand the listener's attention right til the end of the album.
Perhaps there can be little higher praise than this... as I write this, it's about 1am, in the middle of a steaming hot Australian summer; right now however, it's cool, and pouring down rain, and I'm listening to Landing, which fits perfectly.
Reviews
Paris Transatlantic - http://www.paristransatlantic.com
One of a number of CDR focused labels emanating from Australia, Half Theory's issue of Tim Coster's Landing is a rewarding one. Coster's work on this recording is based essentially in the realm of field recordings, instruments and a variety of electronic devices. Detailed and refined in its approach, it sits neatly in the realms explored by labels including and/OAR and Apestaartje. Ambient tones, melodic offcuts and scattered electronic dust gust together with surprising delicacy and movement. When melodic elements are introduced, there is a clear shift of focus, the ear drawn to alternative tunings – the repeating phrases on the title track referencing some distant echo of folk, or some Henry Flynt-style drone experiment drained of volume and rhythmic energy. Coster's choice of material for this record suggests a divergent palette that is beginning to bloom and will no doubt become more developed in future editions. A welcome addition to the already impressive New Zealand sound underworld.
Lawrence English
Cyclic Defrost - http://www.cyclicdefrost.com
On Landing Tim Coster works with ambient drones, with indiscernible fluttering sounds and gentle barely perceptible fluctuating melodies, offering a simultaneous feeling of stasis and progression. Apparently garnered from processed field recordings, processed instrumentation and electronics, it's an exercise in patience and subtlety, in the delicate integration of material almost under earshot. It's all quite low key, the warmth of the drones anchoring the pieces as multiple sound sources converge and entwine together to form one rich tapestry of sound. It's really quite beautiful and subtle work with mannered and soothing tones that still manage to retain an experimental edge.
Bob Baker Fish