Too often in music, “experimental” or “art-” means “not that listenable.” From modern classical compositions to electronic experiments, being artistic means doing something new, something not done before – but there just might be a reason no one had done it before, as it’s of decidedly limited appeal. New York has given artists who only push the boundaries, but also those who square that circle, like Adam Schatz’s Landlady with The World Is a Loud Place.
World is definitely a Big Apple-style art piece. At times it manages to be both disjointed and jointed, such as “Cadaver” and “Person”. There is the bright but sly mix of dance and experimental in opener “Electric Abdomen”, and the well done disjointed dance “Driving In California”. “Solid Brass” mixes jazz and pop, the following title track, encompass and intimate. Not all pieces work as well – there’s too much stop/start at times, such as “Nine” – but overall the record has art-rock appeal, not off-put.
Adam Schatz (QRO interview) is not going to be an MTV favorite or anything with The World Is a Loud Place, unless we the get the MTV of the early nineties or David Byrne starts programming the channel. But as Landlady, he manages to be original and accessible.
