Mesopeak

Mesopeak is an outlet for New Orleans multi-instrumentalist Robert A.E. Landry to showcase his distinctive songwriting style. Primarily known as the drummer of innumerable local bands dating back to the early aughts, Landry has been developing as a songwriter for years, and his latest full-length reveals the far reaches of his ever-expanding musical universe.

Exhausted by the diplomacy of collective songwriting and wary of the sometimes indulgent compositions resulting thereof, Landry intended Meso to be a forthright expression of vision. Thus, he plays every instrument on the album, and every song employs the same open guitar tuning (D, A, E, F#, A, E), as repeating chord patterns underscore minimalist motifs.

The eleven songs on Mesopeak were written and revised over the course of five years, initially serving as an extension of, and eventually proving to be a departure from Landry's past solo work. Under his downtempo electro moniker, Astro, Landry has explored more placid sonic territory, but Meso brings his alternative and emo influences to the fore, allowing crunchy guitars and roaring drums to set the tone as his vocals alternate between murmurs and screams.

Over those five years Landry demoed, recorded, and eventually re-recorded these tracks, honing his ideas into meticulous arrangements that favor dynamism over repetition and never waste two notes where one will do. And while bringing this album to life may have been an arduous process, the results are undeniable: Mesopeak is a focused and fully realized artistic achievement, as inspiring as it is entertaining.