Land Observations (aka the musician and artist, James Brooks) has unleashed the new track ‘Return to Ravenna’, taken from his forthcoming album, The Grand Tour, out on July 29th 2014. The track serves as a fitting closer, it simultaneously signifies a beginning – it’s at once the end of the tour, and the start of the journey home.  ‘Return to Ravenna’ intentionally references Land Observations’ debut album, where Brooks celebrated ‘Via Flaminia,’ the Roman road between Rome and Ravenna, once a major city in classical culture. You can Listen to the track below.

The Grand Tour is the follow up to his 2012  debut album, Roman Roads IV-XI. Where that was concerned with the roads of communication and conquest that stretched across the former Roman Empire and Republic, the new album creates an imaginary travelogue through Western, Central and Southern Europe with reference to the historic Grand Tour, a traditional rite of passage for wealthy University graduates, finding popularity in the 18th century and commencing the idea of ‘tourism’ as we know it.’

For the The Grand Tour’s artwork James Brooks has made a series of postcard drawings which utilise various found tourist and holiday postcards. Directly responding to each postcard’s unique design layout, he has produced a series of abstract, geometric drawings of only their specific surface areas and design skeleton.

Recently Brooks guested on Simon Fisher Turner’s Ivor Novello Award winning score for the BFI restoration of The Epic Of Everest (dir. Captain John Noel, 1924) and has performed the score live at the London Film Festival world premiere, Trento Film Festival in Italy and the Shanghai International Film Festival.

THE GRAND TOUR:
 
On Leaving The Kingdom For The Well-Tempered Continent
Flatlands And The Flemish Roads
From The Heights Of The Simplon Pass
Nice To Turin
Ode To Viennese Streets
The Brenner Pass
Walking The Warm Colonnades
Return To Ravenna

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