Real Estate. Not Sunny Day. Just Real Estate.

Love the s/t. Haven't even been listening to much "indie" these days, but this one fucking grabs me in every way. Anyone else? Also, what is similiar to this? The Feelies? I dunno.

some discussion starting here Ducktails

the live set by nyctaper is awesome -- their laid back strumming thing seems to translate pretty well to live setting -- i hope the pfork ppl get them to play a saturday late afternoon slot

I love this record, and was very recently thinking about starting a thread since I was surprised there wasn't one when it came out. I talked to the singer and he said Yo La Tengo is the biggest influence on their sound. Also thematically and I think musically they are nostalgic of New Jersey, where I've lived all my life (except college). I'm already sort of owned by my own nostalgia of north Jersey, and their music for some reason really gives off a Jersey vibe. It might just be a big coincidence that we seem to be on the same exact page as far as what the north Jersey suburban sound is in our heads, but its still eerie in a great way. It helps that they are from Ridgewood, where one side of my family grew up, and where I visit frequently. It still doesn't explain much, so I'm counting on the wonderfully appropriate coincidence option.

Haven't even been listening to much "indie" these days, but this one fucking grabs me in every way.

I second the above. Looking through last year's purchases I really didn't open my wallet for much new "indie rock" (heard plenty as usual, but only a few stuck with me enough to purchase) -- the xx, Woods (third/fourth record but a new "discovery" to my ears) and then Real Estate. Would figure the last two have a good bit of fan overlap, due to the Woodsist connection and, well, aren't they going to tour together? Or did they already?

Anyway, the Real Estate album is pleasant enough. Feelies comparison OTM.

Just read the entire (short) thread and Yo La Tengo also OTM. One of my favorite indie pop/rock groups of the past 20 or so years, I love those guys, so maybe it's no surprise I like Real Estate now as well. Not that anyone can really out-Yo La Tengo the band themselves, but the influence is visible -- in a good way.

I like them. Do you like Woods/Woods Family Creeps? Ganglians?
Woodsist/fuckittapes is a good label.

Sorry for my ramble, but I am a sucker for rock that sounds so... suburban.

love this album, sounds like a long lost Flying Nun record from the early 80s thats been recently rediscovered

I like them too, particularly "Green River".

Yeah this album is fantastic, as is the Reality EP.

I very much prefer the single version of "Fake Blues" to the one on the record.

Which Feelies record does it most resemble do you think? Also, I have to check out the single version of Fake Blues.

Woodsist has put out some cool stuff. Really like the Meth Teeth record and the Ganglians self-titled as well (haven't heard the latest one yet).

Oh and the Real Estate is pretty good

the new single is sick

I'm checking it out now, here's a link to a streaming version:

http://thenjunderground.com/blog/2010/8/19/real-estate-debut-new-single.html

Yah that's nice.

New single is perfect.

These guys were really on point opening for Deerhunter the other night in NYC for a free show. Two days later they headlined the Underwater Peoples showcase under a pseudonym. I'm pretty cynical about guitar rock white dudes but it's nearly impossible for me to hate on them. Just totally irresistible.

love this album, sounds like a long lost Flying Nun record from the early 80s thats been recently rediscovered

This actually describes The Mantles.

I'm pretty cynical about guitar rock white dudes but it's nearly impossible for me to hate on them. Just totally irresistible.

^

This album is a great companion to the recent weather. Like, truly fits. We're talkin' breezy, in the low 70's South Florida weather. Yep.

The new single ("Out of Tune" b/w "Reservoir #3") is pretty great too. Can't wait for album #2.

Oh, I see j0rdan and Evan already talked about it above, I wasn't even aware it came out until this weekend.

they are the perfect band to have beer koozies as merch
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/img/music/realestate/websterhall/20.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpYTpQT0SRk&feature=player_embedded

this kind of sums up real estate for me. nothing surprising, really, but so good natured, fun, and sounds good.

fucking love this band

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/12260-its-real/

I do too, can't wait for the new album.

Goes to show that healthy/happy suburban life in a beautiful town just makes you appreciate simple pleasures which brings you down to earth. Still love northern New Jersey, always have. That place makes me happy like nowhere else. These guys would get that.

i have to be the only one that was really excited about this, but their cover of 'barely legal' is awesome

http://stereogum.com/767531/stroked-tribute-to-is-this-it/mp3s/

No, I'm totally into that. (A few of those covers are great! I like Owen citing Nabisco and ILM in his commentary about the track. (Apologies; slight derail)...)

green aisles is great, dreamy and hazy, but with a decent hook. this album should be great.

and it is great:

http://pitchfork.com/news/44251-listen-to-the-new-real-estate-album/

nothing new, but what they do - they do very well. (covering the area from The Zombies/Byrds to Clientele/Shins etc)

this is a gorgeous record

definitely hits that earlier clientele vibe nicely

i completely love this album

i actually remembered you twittering abt it the other day and it was on the front page of spotify

j0rdy do you like clientele?

(if not u should check out their albums violet hour and strange geometry, i hear a lot of clientele in this album)

and i'm also remembering before it got all LOL SHINS that oh, inverted world is actually a pretty great record

yeah i haven't head much of the clientele, tho i've seen their named tossed around a bit wrt this record

& yeah the band i hear the most is the shins, esp in the vocals which is totally okay w/ me

SourPatchCorpse

really like the new record, but sometimes i wish they'd move out of their leisurely comfort zone--just a tad.

idk i could never imagine that

i don't think anyone ever went "it would be nice if napalm death softened up a bit"

lol true. i could actually see them doing some verrrrrrrrry slowwwww songs. bet they'd be great. real estate, that is.

really into this, even if it is p slight

like the record, though they lack some sharpness sometime

sometimes i wish they'd move out of their leisurely comfort zone--just a tad.

Me too. They're getting lots of attention these days--Washington Post, NPR, New York Times (and most importantly my high school age son came home talking about them) and it does not quite live up to that hype for me. Not bad, but too nice at times.

not a bad little record.

ignored this band when they were first coming out -- i think the name did the trick -- but i am definitely digging what I've heard from the new one.
this review was bizarre, though, I thought: http://dustedmagazine.com/reviews/6738
cool that the writer has discovered OWS, but let's not go nuts.

these guys are jersey-ites, right? kinda getting a feelies/only life vibe from it.

i guess i feel like jangle pop is kind of slight by nature

i'll take slight. this is sounding great this morning.

on the song green aisles right before the chorus, he sings "it was no so UN-wise" in this way that it so Shins, but i never really perceived the shins guy as having really distinct vocal mannerisms, but i guess he does

You can get a 7" it's real for 3.99£ @ dominorecordco.com/uk/singles/16-08-11/its-real/ - such a lovely song. Regarding the byrds jangle thing tracklist includes a song called "Younger Than Yesterday".

i think all y'll asking for less leisurely comfort zone are listening to the wrong band

All their songs are basically remakes of the Stone Roses' "Shoot You Down", but that's fine by me.

really want valuable poster SourPatchCorpse to come back and add some commentary here

I've been kinda down on these guys (live show is super boring imo, saw them open for Feelies in Brooklyn over the summer) but this new album is pretty great.

yeah they were p meh both times ive seen them live

Wonder Years and All the Same are the standouts for me. the doo-doo-doo parts on Wonder Years are so jangly-80s-college rock.

they were pretty good a couple weeks ago at the astoria beer garden. they did a fun felt cover and the last track from days, all the same, sounded better than the record, really driving and danceable

I would have liked to go to that. used to live in Astoria and always wondered why the beer garden never had bands.

I really like 'Green Aisles'

yeah i think green aisles is my favorite track on the album
the beer garden show was fun, they're a good band to have play in sunshine.

If anything, this is indie-rock comfort food, but so what? Pretty, almost too pretty. A fuck of a lot of bands mine a similar sound (neo-college rock?). So few get it right and make it sing that it's no wonder these guys are getting serious press.

Growing to really love this album.

The "It's Real" video features dogs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HWcViTXdYc

"It's Real" is a great track but I haven't really been able to get into the album.

Coachella performance is streaming now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKJ9RE1q7Hw

i don't mind these guys but every single one of their songs sounds like "no rain" by blind melon with more boring vocals

nah, however said they were like an amerindie version of the clientele was otm. love the album.

they sound almost exactly like McCarthy without the politics. which rules.
they really frontloaded that second album though. the whole thing is great but the first 3 or 4 tracks just kill.

this stuff sounds a little like early aztec camera and felt to me. i like it.

they are fun + chill live, good vibes, nice to see them in the summer

yeah they were surprisingly good live, i thought. the album is definitely very nice. the whole family likes it, which is rare!

I get a Field Mice vibe too.

this is such a nice album

One of the only modern records that I can't seem to get burnt out on, and I imagine it'll age really well.

I always semi-liked these guys but I am fully on board now after I've been listening to "Days" a ton since it came out. it's a great album and they were great live this past Saturday. covered the Clean! (Anything Could Happen)

also I never realized Alex Bleeker sings the lead vocal on Wonder Years

my three year old loves this record. and so do i!

Reasons like that are the most attractive thing to me about someday having kids :)

http://pitchfork.com/news/47473-watch-real-estate-perform-new-song/

The little guitar hook has a Destroyer vibe to it.

NEW RECORD IS HERE....ITS A DOOZY!!!!!!!!!!!!

when is it actually out?

March.

Only 4 tracks in but yeah, this is exactly what you expect = perfection

sweet

nice! i had totally forgotten about these guys

New track!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNvj_VLkEBg

v. good track

Decent tune, not too distinctive on its own, though I think of these guys as more of an album band. I think their songs work best in the context of an album-long listening experience, where they can establish a mood and play with subtle variations on their formula.

Agreed, though mix any of their songs (at least from their last album) in with a late 80s early 90s indie pop mix and I think they fit very nicely.

Not bad. I tend to agree with o. nate.

melody doesn't really stick

Generic

whole album is lovely. whole album is Real Estate.

Very excited.

Track + video:

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/16682-real-estate-crime/

http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/9342-real-estate-suburban-dreams/

I'm seriously exactly the same guy as all three of these dudes and can directly relate (though I'm from only a few towns over) to a million of these sentiments.

I really need to start a late 80s early 90s jangle pop band myself. WTF am I doing?

^Whoa. That P4K writer hit the nail on the head with that description of Real Estate's music.

That's the same kind of vibe I get from Kurt Vile (his latest album) and, to some extent, Pavement.

Yeah, that's a great profile and has me super stoker for Atlas.

on paper these guys should be so mediocre and forgettable but the execution is just so good

They aren't accessorizing with their particular influences. No novelty at all.

^Aren't accessories just other influences, as well, though?

???

Heard the album yesterday and realize how much I've missed this sound. Adventure-era Television, Yo La Tengo, Feelies, Luna, early Clientelle. Love it! What else would you put alongside it in a mix? Maybe Veronica Falls, Minks, Beach Fossils?

I put them in mixes with Field Mice, 14 Iced Bears, Ropers, Clientele, Feelies, Close Lobsters, etc. Yeah all that kind of stuff.

@Evan

Sorry, I think I misunderstood you. What do you mean by accessorise?

I mean the novelty of imitating a style of music blatantly. In their case they take from the style of the bands I listed above but it's definitely not derivative.
In my opinion.

Oh okay. I think I agree with that.

I'll check out 14 Iced Bears, Ropers, and Close Lobsters. I hope they're on Spotify!

Close Lobsters is probably no ...closer than any other 80s jangle pop band to Real Estate's song but they're great so always on the front of my mind.

Here's a good song... I admit it doesn't really sound like Real Estate beyond pretty, sunny guitar-work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U77ctQngL84&feature=kp

I'm not super-familiar with most of those referents. The band that Real Estate most reminds me of is the Sea and Cake. Granted, there's more (overt) jazz and electronics in the Sea and Cake, but I get a similar vibe -- wistful maj-7th-chord guitar-pop -- from both bands.

This one might be a little closer maybe? I'm realizing Fastnbulbous is more trustworthy for matching sounds:

14 Iced Bears:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8bozvcPH0A&feature=kp

Yeah and fully self-aware here Ropers is another that is just sunny indie pop and not really a good reference point either. Apologies!

Oh but this one works!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIppK6kDCUM&feature=kp

I'm not super-familiar with most of those referents. The band that Real Estate most reminds me of is the Sea and Cake. Granted, there's more (overt) jazz and electronics in the Sea and Cake, but I get a similar vibe -- wistful maj-7th-chord guitar-pop -- from both bands.

― jaymc, Thursday, February 27, 2014 3:04 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Agreed!

Images of ∞ checking out Ropers and going "Huh?" gives me anxiety for some reason, like when I would realize I made the same error at the record store to a customer after the fact, or simply when you realize you gave someone bad driving directions after they're already gone.

Close Lobsters is a good call. I love that album, I think I bought it in '88 after reading about it in a Xeroxed fanzine out of Michigan called "You Can't Hide Your Love Forever." Field Mice too.

Hahaha. @Evan, don't sweat it, man. It's no big deal. Plus, I might like them for other reasons (even though they sound nothing like Real Estate).

I have heard Field Mice, and I don't hear the similarities, to be honest.

Been looking for new stuff to listen to, anyway, though.

I'll start with Close Lobsters, then.

See with Field Mice it probably starts and ends with "Emma's House" which I posted above.

The first few bars of that Close Lobsters song are exactly like "Its Real". Looking forward to the new Real Estate - lovely languid summer voibs all day please

Ha, yeah - I hit play on the Close Lobsters thing and actually momentarily thought 'oh shit, Real Estate is auto-playing somewhere else'

Randomly heard 'Green Aisles' this morning, and I might be projecting, but, besides the usual suspect, I'm hearing a strong Cure influence in there.

Guess I'm not as far off with the references as I'd thought!

the band they remind me of most sound-wise are probably Mccarthy

i hear the second and third feelies albums big time

Definitely.

Haven't heard this one yet but I agree that Real Estate has something in common with early Clientele. Their previous albums are recorded like the music is playing in a small venue, or a bar, and you're not front-and-center. Maybe their backs are to you, and their amps are facing the other direction, or maybe their just in the next room. They're a very ambient band in that way.

*they're

Wow, check out this dickish review. Reminds me of the early days of Pitchfork.

http://www.popmatters.com/review/179361-real-estate-atlas/

Boy, Real Estate sure has done it again. Without a doubt, this is another Real Estate album. Atlas has all the hallmarks: clean guitars, open chords, the faintest whiff of melancholy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t begin to approach anything resembling an interesting idea.

i agree with the author. i am so livid that this pleasant guitar pop made by dudes who seem pretty nice from what i've heard is enjoying moderate popularity.

i mean, don't real estate want more out of their music? what ever happened to wanting more? is real estate just waiting it out until their consciousnesses are uploaded into the cloud? does real estate care about anything at all?

Yeah, it was pretty interesting to read that Popmatters review right after reading the Pitchfork one.

This new album is seriously beautiful.

"Navigator" is my favorite. Chorus reminds me of something I think but I can't figure out what.

The instrumental track "April's Song" is the one i've been playing over and over.

"Primitive" is great too. This band definitely captures the new jersey i know better than springsteen.

re influences I don't know galaxie 500 that well but I hear some of that in in real estate's earlier, less polished stuff

No one's mentioned a distortion less Ride?

The "country" one on this is very yo la tengo

does bleeker have a track on atlas? wonder years is one of my faves from days.

atlas is great but I miss the valedictory album-ending jam

Bleeker does have a track, though it's not as sunny as Wonder Years.

his song on this almost sounds like a christian hymn

which is?

his song i mean

"how might I live"

that's the one that sounds most like Luna.

Yeah, that's my least favorite. :)

^ gets it

The "country" one on this is very yo la tengo

that was the one that stuck out the most to me when I listened this afternoon

it's the one that stands out the most that's for sure but i think it's my least favorite, which isn't to say i dislike it.

It's never occurred to me that I should listen to Real Estate, but reading this thread has convinced me I would like them.

Real Estate has something in common with early Clientele

going to check them out now.

does anyone remember late 90s indie also-rans Silver Scooter? I basically only know this one song, but I feel like my infatuation with it prefigured my love of Real Estate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ov6rh5Ym0A

"Navigator" is my favorite. Chorus reminds me of something I think but I can't figure out what.

― Evan, Monday, March 3, 2014 1:59 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Exactly how I feel.

Actually it's been obsessing me.

probably not what you're thinking of but Navigator chorus kinda reminds me of the Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait chorus, "lights that flash in the evening..."

this album is starting to click for me.

there's a hazy, lilting nostalgic feel to it that i hadn't picked up in their music before.

i wonder if anyone else is getting a mild simon & garfunkel vibe from this.

These guys were a glass of lemonade on an 89-degree afternoon two years ago at Pitchfork Festival, but, man this album is mush. It's The Ocean Blue again.

"Navigator" is my favorite. Chorus reminds me of something I think but I can't figure out what.

― Evan, Monday, March 3, 2014 1:59 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Exactly how I feel.

― Van Horn Street, Wednesday, March 5, 2014 11:09 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Actually it's been obsessing me.

― Van Horn Street, Wednesday, March 5, 2014 11:09 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Closest I've come to a maybe is Pink Frost by The Chills. Still browsing my library...

Maybe a Bats song... I'm figuring there isn't a really direct example, but I'm not sure.

This???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jlJA6VK5_c

ARGH!

Torture, really.

Really top notch song there by the Bats though.

Highly recommend it to other Real Estate fans.

I was just listening to Pink Frost and thinking I wish more pop sounded like this!

That song is SO good

Real Estate is good and all, but nowhere near Pink Frost level good.

I don't think anyone here said so!

i was just cautioning Jacob Sanders that if he's looking for another Pink Frost on a Real Estate lp he'll get close, but not quite. and the search will be enjoyable.

Oh true! I didn't originally consider that maybe he meant, "...therefore I will check out Real Estate now"

So I finally listened to Atlas and I really like it! They don't sound anything like I had imagined. I don't hear much yo la tengo at all, everything is more understated and they maintain a a vibe throughout. It sounds very AOR to me. It gives me a similar feeling when I first heard 'Here Come The Cars.' Also reminds me of a lot of pop from Sweden or Norway, or yeah New Zealand.

lovely album. i generally hate pitchfork's reviews but the review of "atlas" is quite otm indeed.

The Ocean Blue! Now this album makes me think of being a 10 or 11-year-old, by myself at a water park, listening to Ballerina Out Of Control on FM radio, through my Walkman.

I like this record. All the songs sound the same but they all sound good.

I like it too...much more than I initially thought!

I started getting into the Clientele because of all the mentions here. (Not sure why I never checked them out, a lot of college radio friends of mine liked them back in the day.) "Suburban Light" has kind of crowded out "Atlas" in my listening rotation haha. Although I don't see the similarities that much, to be honest. The Clientele seem very '60s, light-psych, Zombies influenced in a way I don't hear w/ Real Estate at all.

It's more of the pretty clean melodic guitar emphasis and a consistent sameness of material that link both I think. I could have worded that better but I'm lazy at the moment.

i'm still undecided how much of an advancement this is over their last album but as a piece of craftsmanship it's pretty amazing.

So if I like this record I should get their back catalog? Atlas is quickly become one of my favorite records to listen from start to finish, especially while driving.

i love the previous one, Days.

yeah jacob get the others for sure

I think "Days" is where they first hit their stride. "Atlas" is like a slightly more polished continuation of that album. The s/t debut isn't up to the same level. There are a couple of tracks that show promise, but it's a bit slight and unfocused.

Agreed. The debut has moments but hadn't really distinguished itself from the rest of the Woodsist style bands of the same period until "Days".

"Days" is one of the great growers of the past several years, imo

I agree - Days is the album of coice, although Atlas is showing similar qualities. I miss the lengthier songs of Days though.

I wrote about Days for record club:

http://devonrecordclub.com/2014/03/15/real-estate-days-round-62-toms-selection/

Don't really hear the clientele comparisons but defo hear the sea and cake. Anyway i love them both, and this album too.

Kinda can't get past primitive tho. Just a lovely straightfwd song of the sort I haven't heard in a good wee while.

^^^^^^^^^***^^^^**********gets it

Real Estate listeners: you might like Posse's new album (Soft Opening, released this year). It's on Spotify.

Yeah the Posse album is pretty good. Personally I didn't care for Atlas, its just toooo glossy and for me is almost unlistenable- and I loved every song including B-sides that they ever released before this came out. No hard feelings though, those guys are just too cool to hate on

I really don't see it as that far in sound from "Days".

The only really significant difference I can hear is the lack of climactic moments this time around in relation the past records.

This Posse record is so so so great.

Sometimes I wonder what the music I make myself will sound like when I finally get a group of engaged individuals together to record with me. Or if that will ever happen.
I've been too shy to put up a craigslist ad, and I'm not lucky enough to have any interested friends yet.

just hearing the new one for the first time --- man "indie rock comfort food" is so OTM

Man, Atlas is so pretty. Six-string bliss. The music supplies the emotional depth that is mutely gestured at by the lyrics. Early-period REM is the sonic comparison that most often comes to mind.

well, maybe ballad-y, slow-moving early-period rem. there's no boxcars or wolves, lower here.

(and to be clear, i like this real estate record a lot)

The only really significant difference I can hear is the lack of climactic moments this time around in relation the past records.

Definitely, and I miss that. This album could benefit from a bit more dynamic variation, one or two of those (still quite gentle) exclamation points.

Seeing these guys tonight. Psyched for the laid back swaying flannel vibe.

how were they ? on letterman this wednesday btw

love pretty much everything these guys do

Really enjoyed them. Reasonably tight in the songs though very ambly and loose in between.

Liking the new one (but I still like some of the New Zealand guitar pop it reminds me of better)

I think I don't like it because the only tracks I didn't like on Days were "Easy" and "It's Real" and Atlas is comprised of 10 "It's Real"s

Man, I really disagree, if anything Atlas is more like 10 variations on "Easy" than "It's Real" and that's still a big stretch. I wish there was an "It's Real" on here.

Martin's new material is pretty enjoyable (3 songs released so far). It’s clear he is the creative director for Real Estate. The other guy's solo stuff has a pretty good spirit but his is the most measured and tasteful to me. Alex’s music has a nice attitude but for me is too shallow and gets boring, Ducktails recent stuff has too much sheen and not enough personality or uniqueness (loved his lo-fi first album though). People think Real Estate is boring and inoffensive and samey but it’s clear he has a really good sensibility for laid back and wistful 80s/90s sunny jangle style, same way the Clientele has a great measured consistency with their own brand of laid back, wistful style.

Yes. These guys are excellent. It's ironic that there are approximately 8 zillion interchangable synth pop bands right now, yet this band gets called "samey"

It kind of brings the Bats to mind as well- lots of samey material but always strong and melodic and compelling.

Whelp, Ducktails quit the band to focus on being Ducktails or so we're told. Julian Lynch fills the role. Martin's latest album probably would have done much better if it was branded as Real Estate, because honestly the only thing that was audibly different at all was the subtle instrumental dressings and the clear lack of Ducktails reverby lead guitar. Otherwise I'd like to consider it a strong 4th LP by them (him), no offense to Alex's contributions to their overall sound. Wonder if the reverb lead will remain part of the formula going forward.

synth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUFr4SK1-l4

i love this

feels like this bends them back more towards "it's real" days than the last record which i didn't really like

good stuff - the drone was always my favorite part of their sound

yeah turns out the last album was just a bit too static; it's a fine line between dreamlike and asleep

New one is a bit boring aside from the single

that was my takeaway - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I like the first three songs, but it loses me after that. I kept looking at the track listing as it was playing and was always surprise/disappointed how long was left on the album. That's never a good sign.

This is a bummer. It blurs so quickly into indistinguishable sameness, like an EKG flatlining

Always thought Matt Mondanile was the key to Real Estate. Really bummed me when he left the band; knew Courtney & co. would make an album like In Mind, sleepy and samey.

They never got much better than "Municipality" I think. That whole album is great, definitely their peak.

...I like the album. I really like the long jammy song on the first side.

Album is all right but Real Estate have always been a "two tracks per album" group for me. "Darling" is pretty special.

i like this! sleepy and samey aren't necessarily deal breakers for me, anyway.

I think Darling is great, but most of the album is not clicking for me - as someone who likes s/t and Days pretty much front to back

yeah I like this a lot too - it's comforting, warm 60s psych vibes, hearing a bit of Teenage Fanclub in them

the She's So Heavy ending on Two Arrows is fun imo

File under: Things that are boring but good

https://pitchfork.com/news/real-estate-fired-guitarist-matt-mondanile-in-2016-because-he-allegedly-mistreated-women/

Massive new story -- triggers noted.

https://www.spin.com/featured/matt-mondanile-ducktails-real-estate-sexual-misconduct-allegations-detailed/

so sad

I'm glad the new album is good because now I kinda don't want to hear the old ones

Days will always be special to me, despite this.

yeah I think it probably will to me too in a while it's just right now I don't really want to hear it

Right

You're entering this town
Yourself a weeping clown
You play along to songs written for you
But you're all out of tune

Hm, as they say.

https://pitchfork.com/news/matt-mondanile-addresses-sexual-misconduct-allegations/

Per the legal statement:

Regarding Real Estate, the band required Matt to sign a “leaving agreement” in February 2016 that prohibits both him and the band members from making any negative or derogatory statements about the other, or that may negatively affect the other’s reputation and career. In violating the terms of the agreement, Real Estate band members were not “protecting the victims,” they were instead protecting themselves by sidestepping the controversy to protect the band's commercial viability.

love "Saturday" a lot

New album came out last week and I’ve seen zero mention of it anywhere.

There are a lot of little lead guitar flourishes in this record that I find a little hokey, on first listen at least.

My copy just arrived yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to play through it yet.

Sorta reminds me of Teenage Fanclub

I'm honestly not terribly familiar with Teenage Fanclub, so I'm not sure what to make of that particular comparison, but this is... different. It's hard to put my finger on it. I like it, but it's not quite what I expected.

basically Days is the only album they needed to make is how I break it down to an extent

not hearing Teenage Fanclub really at all

I'm loving this, it's their sophistipop record!

Ok, you know what youre going to get with Real Estate but I love their subtle tweaks to the melancholy summer voib on each albun

I've always relied on these guys for all of my jangly vitamins and minerals. New direction not really working for me.

Days is a couple months away from 10 years old. Still a classic!

I wonder if J0rdan S. ever came around to The Clientele within these last 10 years (was rereading upthread)...

the only time I engaged w/this band was seeing them at Pitchfork with J0rdan lol

https://realestate.bandcamp.com/album/daniel

excited for this, esp. as The Main Thing ended up my 2nd fave after Days

little bit of The Shins' "Saint Simon" in this first single

Not sure if it "means" anything that no one had anything to share here about the new album...my impression is that there are a lot of people who likely feel this is a band whose best work is behind them. I continue to have a soft spot for Real Estate, even while being frustrated at a certain sameness that is both a weakness and strength of theirs.

Anyway--I'm enjoying the new one. "Water Underground" is definitely the most memorable, expertly composed + arranged song here and one of their best ever, I think. The little flourishes that distinguish this slightly from their others are welcome, like the pedal steel on half the tracks and the moody but propulsive rhythms of "Freeze Brain" and "You Are Here". The lyrics are mostly fine, sometimes weak, occasionally just right. I still think Martin's solo records are better than any of the last 3 Real Estate albums.

I like them a lot but yeah I think Atlas was their last really strong album. The new one is a bit mid, they always sound pleasant at least but this seems a bit inessential.

Oh meant to post about this, I've been enjoying it. Can't tell if the songs are at the level of the last album, which I loved, but Real Estate + Golden Hour producer is plenty for me, and I do really like where it goes in the last couple songs.

Yeah this new one is definitely not top tier Real Estate, but I'll be damned if it still doesn't sound gorgeous.

Always pleasant, rarely essential.

A fragment of the video f "Water Underground" was played on the TV news in Spain last weekend. Yesterday I found out that "Atlas" is almost ten years old.

First album and first ep essential, after that yeah, pgwp otm