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Midnight Landing
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“The record begins with a melodica drenched nod to Augustus Pablo and continues through a dubwise tour of 70’s-era conscious reggae, with the drowsy horns of “Kneel At The Feet” a highlight. Purists should know that 10 ft. are neither mockingbirds nor worshippers at the temple. They are old school scholars teaching a new generation weaned on dancehall the joy of knowing one’s roots. Woven of authentic Jamaican colors.” – Global Rhythm
Every spring stereo speakers appear in the windows of apartments, homes and dorm rooms around the world. More often than not, these speakers are blasting Bob Marley’s “Legend” to any and all within earshot. I have lost count of how many times I’ve heard Marley beaming down on me with the summer sun and brightening my day. This July, just in time for the coming warmth, 10 Ft. Ganja Plant’s will have a new album titled “Midnight Landing,” an album that should be the window album this summer.
“Midnight Landing,” at it’s heart, is inspired by the recording processes of the great Jamaican studio bands of the 70's (and their American counterparts, Motown and Stax) where a song was potentially written, learned, and recorded in one session, with the band playing live on one track and then being voiced on the second track, with no regrets, and no apologies. Add to this ethos, some dubwise studio mastery and experimentation (“Chanting Nyabinghi”, inspired by the African drumming style, is a creative departure and one of the best tracks they’ve ever cut) and you begin to get the picture.
TRACKS:
1. 100 LB. Weight
2. Ganja Plane Rider
3. Kneel at the Feet
4. Let the Music Hit
5. Shine Dub
6. Midnight Landing
7. Chanting Nyabinghi
8. Mercy
9. Wide Open
10. Sweet Country
11. Righteous Dub
Press for Midnight Landing
“The follow up to Hillside Airstrip is modern roots reggae of the highest order…There may be influences at work here – Upsetterism particularly – but 10 Ft. Ganja Plant are no mere copyists, varying the lead instrumentation and feel throughout with ease. Standout tracks are “Kneel At The Feet” with it’s languid brass getting slouchier as the track progresses, and the startling “Chanting Nyabinghi” with what sounds like a cello undergoing dub treatment… ” –The Wire
“Midnight Landing offers a stylistic cornucopia to the listener…the variety makes for a reinvigorated listening experience that eschews predictability for a sense of musical absorption of many reggae subgenres.” –The Beat
“Refreshingly thick from start to finish…this recording is bubbling over with soulful roots and passionate dub…so vintage in sound you’d swear it was recorded in the mid-‘70s. This is one of my most treasured releases of 2003.” –Reggae Nucleus
“No other American band has shown as much dedication to preserving the spirit of 1970s roots reggae as the mysterious 10 Ft. Ganja Plant, a group that deliberately keeps its lineup shrouded in a cloud of pungent smoke. 10 Ft. Ganja Plant's third album finds the band doing the same thing it did, to glorious effect, on its first two: channeling the rich, dark spirit of the great reggae studios of the 1970s, in particular Channel One and Lee "Scratch" Perry's infamous Black Ark, where the wet and echoey ambience that 10 Ft. Ganja Plant favors was perfected. The band leans toward instrumentals with lots of dubwise production effects, but the strongest facets on Midnight Landing are the songs — in particular, the joyful "Let the Music Hit," and the resolutely skanking "Mercy." Whoever the vocalist is, he has an interesting voice that lands somewhere between Bob Marley and Leo Graham, and whoever the bass player is (ten bucks says it's David Gould), he lays down sweet, heavyweight basslines that will wind your waist and soothe your soul. Very highly recommended. 4 Stars.” –All Music Guide
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