Off Land - Afterglow (+ Relics) (2017)

Off Land is Tim Dwyer, and he makes beautiful ambient music. Period. He’s pretty much a ‘young ‘un’ on the scene, having only released music since 2008 or so, but it’s amazing what ten years will do, once you allow discipline, dedication, practice, exposure, and even a modicum of good fortune to envelope you in a large, warm blanket. To that extent, Dwyer’s paid his dues, and now the sonic birds have come home to roost, and we’ve lucky enough to receive this, Dwyer’s second for Carpe Sonum. And it might well be better than his first, for after some physical editions proffered by the likes of Psychonavigation and Stasis Recordings, not to mention a gaggle of releases self-issued and sprung across numerous platforms and net-labels, Dwyer’s artform his manifested itself as one to be reckoned with, every bit the analog measured by yardsticks’ Namlook, Chillage, Mixmaster Morris, Eno, et al. Put simply, held aloft by the gorgeous shifting astronomies of “Zodiacal Light”, the luxurious purring sequencers of “Pulsar”, or the inner-ear candy of “Redshift”, this is yet another way that Off Land achieves both aural and critical lift-off. Period.