Landlady
Upright Behavior
Reviewed by: Lara Supan
Not sure if you will understand what on earth they’re talking about, but it’s definitely worth an attempt to find out!
The vocals are clear, concise and beautiful, but the subject matter and verse is complex enough that you’ll have to sit down with a pen and paper just to comprehend the material. However, this is not a critique but a challenge! One of the most intriguing songs is called “Under the Yard”, which literally makes no sense at all unless everything is looked at in metaphor, which then opens to door to all kinds of creepy ideas.
In contrast, the first song, “Above My Ground”, might be a hard song to get past. With the cacophony increasing throughout the piece, the end is rich with stray percussive sounds and melodic pandemonium. Everything is for a reason on this album, so challenge yourself to dig up the meaning behind the orchestration and cryptic lyrics. With all of these songs being artistically through-composed, “Girl” is very reminiscent of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Tune Yard’s most recent album also comes to mind as a close comparison of style and talent.
If you don’t like odd, mysterious cyphers for lyrics and quirky percussion dominating your ear drums, you might want to give this one a pass. If you want to take a shot at deciphering Landlady’s genius, I suggest you pick up your copy of Upright Behavior today!
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