LosingToday.com
(Landlord -
Glitterati)
Just what the world needed, another post-punk
band. With the ridiculous amount of similar-sounding bands rehashing
the sounds of 1978-1982 it would be easy to dismiss New York City
trio Landlord's sophomore release as just one of the herd, but their
songs are too good to be swept under the rug like that. The band's
sound is a head on collision of The Cure, early-U2, The Church and
maybe even some of Stuart Copeland's drumming with The Police. What
I like about this is the band's ability to handle the occasional
low-key song like the Pulp/Bowie-ish "Morning After" with
just as much passion as the more dramatic songs like "A Palace
For The Muses" and personal favorite "Vois Dire".
To put it another way: I like these guys more than Bloc Party. DAVID
MANSDORF
Zirzamin Magazine
(Landlord -
Glitterati)
It's always nice to hear a talented trio like The Police, Rush,
Nirvana…or Landlord in this case. I like lead singers who
don't take themselves serious and actually pickup an instrument
to musically contribute … instead of standing tall and looking
cute for the groupies. Glitterrati by Landlord is one of those badass
albums.
If I could put Esfand, Andres and Title inside a wine bottle and
describe Landlord to you… I'd have to say this winery is from
The Cure valley made with seedless Depeche Mode sprinkled with spicy
U2 drum beating added with a faint scent of Talking/Radiohead/s
and finally packaged in a velvet David Bowie
binding.
Definitely made with severe UK attitude even though the band is
from NY. Those imperialist English, bloody bastards are always a
step-and-a-half ahead of colonist American musicians … this
actually works for Landlord and it's a good thing.
Like
any talented, anarchist band Landlord has covered all the major
things that makes them a real band.
1
- Good-old-fashion-dark-drowning-pissed-off-guitar by Esfand
(Senator).
2
- Diverse drumming by Title who's contributing a key instrument
in the band… not just keeping a steady rhythm. I see a
lot of Larry Mullen from U2 in this guy (5th Helena)…I
almost wanted to drop Mr. Copeland's name from The Police but
not nearly
enough high hat!
3
- Don't sleep on the bass either… Andre's stashed
in the back, but creeps from behind by carrying
the entire backbone of
this group in every song.
4
- Vocally David Gahan and Robert Smith are born again with
Andres (Awful State of Limbo) and Esfand(Ten Bells). You just
have to
listen for yourself. They’re really good.
I'm
not sure who told me that these guys are a punk band … but
I disagree. I wouldn't describe them as your typical basement,
nut sack pierced punk band. Glitterati is much more diverse for
a wider audience. Their punk-rockish, progressive, alternative
attitude is good enough for a wide group of people. Labeling them
as "punk" may scare some away.
(Zirzamin
Magazine)
Zirzamin Magazine
(Landlord - Live Review)
Landlord @ DC9 - Washington DC
When I entered DC9 on Wednesday I saw a large congregation of
people by the bar and littered throughout the room, and then
I saw 3 dudes
in the corner that are the kind of dudes you'd say "you're
not from around here are you?" One was couched in a booth
and was transfixed on a glass of water as if he were trying to
summon
the dead (Esfand-guitar/vocal), another garnished a tiny leather
jacket and was speaking loudly and quickly into his cell phone
as
he was feverishly pacing in a small circle like a lab-rat on
speed (Title-drums), and the 3rd dude was casually sitting in
his own
booth chuckling at the other two (Andres - bass/vocals). A smallish
man with a Pearl Jam t-shirt and a Mohawk strolled over to the
boys
and said something that made them jump to attention. They quietly
strode to the stage, stretched out as if they were going to head
for a stroll in the park, quietly said hello to the roomful of
onlookers,
then proceeded to viciously attack their instruments and create
an instant orgy of sound that made everyone in the room sprout
to
attention and instantly bob their heads in unison. The head bobbing
became more intense and lead to toe tapping which lead to a good
deal of hooting and hollering which, at the end of the day, you're
left with a room full of newly adorned fans moving, grooving,
and
screaming praise.
The next 40 minutes was a build-up of raw energy, passion, and
excitement that reminded me of what it must've felt like to see
U2 in a small
music venue in the middle of nowhere in the early 80's. Each
song they performed was more intense than the one you just witnessed.
Each song, in and of itself, you convince yourself is their best
song. Over the course of less than an hour, you fall in love.
It
isn't often you see a band really communicate with people. Of
course, you get the occasional catchy tune. But Landlord deliver
arresting
songs with thick harmonies and with enough passion that you wait
for them to expose their still beating hearts to you at any moment.
It's raw…it's honest...and by the end of it all, they walk
off stage drenched in sweat and with a crazed look in their eyes
as if they'd been to war and back. Perhaps they have.
(Zirzamin Magazine)
Skratch Magazine
(Landlord - Self-titled)
This New York City trio has come up with a novel idea for its
debut album: good songwriting, excellent production, and a heartfelt
political
message. Very few—if any—self-released CDs reach the
quality exhibited on the 12 tracks from this release. With a sound
that radiates between U2 and Midnight Oil, the band has found a
late-'80s groove that suits its material perfectly. Tunes like "War
Child", "Revolution", and "Politics" pull
no punches in the political arena and are some of the band's
most
passionate tunes. It's high time for this band to step up to
an industry showcase gig and get signed.
(Skratch
Magazine)
Crashin'
in
(Landlord - Self-titled)
When I first heard these songs I instantly thought of The Chameleons
and The Cure. Its new wave flavor is thrown all over every song.
The songs are dark, yet alluring. They even conjure up topics that
bring comparisons to what past greats always talked about. (“Manmade
Machine” and “War Child”). Looking forward to
seeing more from this three-piece."
(Crashin' in)
Impact
Press
(Landlord - Self-titled)
This is not at all what I was expecting. Based on the cover, I expected
ferocious hardcore. What I got instead was a strange and powerful
blend of rock and epic sounding anthems. Songs with a meaning, some
thought behind them, which is evident in the lyrics as well as the
style of music which is well tailoered to the message.
(Impact Press)
Punk
Planet
(Landlord - Self-titled)
Landlord record was picked as one of the "highlighted"
reviews in the Jan/Feb 2005 of Punk Planet.
There need to be rules for band bios that would disallow them from
stating the obvious to thus make critics not feel like jackoffs
for thinking the same thing. In this case, Landlord is said to have
a thing for The Cure. Well, no shit. While they could never inflict
a direct hit to sink Robert Smith's battleship, this New York band
boasts a rough similarity. No help needed to figure that one out.
(Sean Moeller,
Punk Planet)
Zirzamin
Magazine
(Landlord
- Glitterati)
This is how it could have sounded if the clash met the police and
the Edge had joined them as the lead guitar player and instead of
having Bono on the vocals, Kevin Rowland had jumped in from Dexys
Midnight Runners. And they could have called them selves, Landlord!.
If you really miss the sound of post punk era from the early 80's
out of England, then you must absolutely get the hold on Landlords
second album, "Glitterati". This album is like a nostalgic
trip back in time but somehow they manage to keep you where you
are, "In the year 2006". The album has a very passionate
and intensive sound with social, political and personal pressures
that they channel all into "Glitterati".
This is a realy nice album if you are really into punk rock. Kill
them NOW!!!!
(Zirzamin
Magazine)
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