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 In the DistanceFeb 24, 2010
On Land is the finest of the Ambient series or any to date. Thursday Afternoon and Neroli are excellent as well but the mood of this one is so far out in distance you never return! Eno is an amazing soundscapist and a master mood conjurer. For the no. 1 album in ambience - this is it.
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On LandMar 08, 2009
If you are in the market for music, don't get this. This is not music. This is a collection of finely tuned soundscapes. Each track will put you in a particular place. It may be peaceful, a little off center, maybe even a bit disturbing. Your ear may yearn for resolution, but none may come. I don't have much music in my collection like this. I think it's good to have though, for those moods when you don't want a lot of structure and instead would like to float through sound. It's engaging and overall yields a good experience.
 Never enough EnoDec 02, 2008
Eno makes great background music, I buy every CD of his that I can find.
One of the all time great ambient recordsApr 26, 2008
Truly, when "Ambient 4: On Land" was first released in 1982, it was decades ahead of its time, or even, as another reviewer here described it , "timeless". "Ambient 4" can be said to have been the shape of ambient to come in the way it abandons all clear instrumentation and obvious melody to reach an ultimate goal: simulating a virtual, fictional world. Spacial effects and panning give the listener the sense bring the listener beyond the point of being reminded of an environment and into the realm of feeling as if they are there. "On Land" abandons the new age ideal of music for the functional purpose of relaxation, and also doesn't seem intended to be used as a backdrop for daily activities, as it rewards focused listening.
The place "On Land" will take you to is green of all shades, all hues, typically paler and interwoven with grey. Everything lies overgrown, not far from civilization but uncontrolled by it, possessing all the wildness and unpredictability of a deep forest... typically safe, often unnerving in its bizarreness, occasionally truly threatening. You will get wet and most likely dirty. There are moments of greater unease, such as the almost human, gasping voice of "Shadow" and the dark murkiness of "Lantern Marsh", as well as the sense one gets when exploring a potentially dangerous place against better judgment, driven by simple curiosity. The best example of this is in the misty fog and overcast weather of "Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills)". There is a general sense of melancholy hanging over most of the record, like that of a cold morning lacking in bright sunlight.
There are modern ambient artists who you'd swear were working in surround sound even on the puniest of stereo systems (Coil, Lustmord, Steve Roach), and yes, the production of "On Land" lacks the clarity and separation of their work. However, in terms of sheer creativity and vision-inspiring power, "On Land" stands the test of time, and is one of the all time greats of the genre. Highly recommended.
SoundworldApr 02, 2008
I got interested in ambient music through first listening to 'nature sounds' CDs, like thunderstorms or falling rain. The minimalist sound lets you fill that space with your own thoughts. Plus it really chills you out. Then I found Brian Eno and downloaded "Discreet Music", wanted more, and found "On Land".
"The Lost Day" is expansive and let's your mind make up stories for the music. It sounds like dark restlessness. "Dunwich Beach Autumn 1960" is my favorite track- it reminds me of home, not as it was, but how it might have been. "Shadow" is vaguely disturbing. All in all this is a very interesting collection of soundscapes.
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based on 48 reviews
