Landlady, a self-proclaimed experimental band, has coined their music as “adventure pop.”
The band tries to keep things as original as possible with melodies that start in one place, then veer, dive and disappear into new ones. The art of surprise is strong in this five piece rock band. The World is a Loud Place doesn’t disappoint with its support from a brass section.
The band members are backed from cellos and saxes, all the way over to trombones and clarinets. Slow grooves turn into a nimble thundering of instruments where one off note could collapse the musical entity created in each track.
The psychedelic album cover seems to warn that this band will not be listened to idly. The tracks move in such a way that once turned up, listeners are strapped into a joyride of one orchestrated sonic flair after another.
After all, it’s not every day a song called “Cadaver” with references to the formaldehyde, can garner an almost involuntary reaction to move with the ebb and flow of the song.
“Hard to Spell” starts out simple enough with Adam Schatz’s vocals over a guitar. The song builds on itself, introducing new instruments every few seconds. The quiet and lucid beginning gives way to swells of sound. The pace picks up and the swell crashes, abruptly dropping the listener into the next track, “Nina.”
The lively “Driving in California” seems to be a new staple road trip song. Coast to coast, Landlady maps out the journey in a cyclical matter, “driving to Niagara in a downpour feels redundant, but I love it. California couldn’t touch it,” that always leads back to California in some way or another. The song starts out in a playful manner, but tapers down halfway through the song. Effortlessly, this track captures the equal amount of excitement and boredom that comes with driving across country.
The World is a Loud Place closes out with “Rest in Peace.” It kicks off with anxiety ridden guitar and keyboard, once again building to a precipice only to be slowed down again. Highs and lows, happy and sad; Landlady fuels a rollercoaster of emotion throughout the album.
The world is a loud place full of moments. Happiness gives way to dissatisfaction, while chaos gives way to tranquility. Landlady brings it all together in a neat little phonic package.
