BAND CRUSH: REAL ESTATE

Pop gems that will take you to the beach and back.

With wars raging abroad, fights breaking out on the steps of Congress, and a band of so-called patriots calling for secession, it’s no surprise dreamy lo-fi pop is having a moment. We might get summer only three months a year, but we can pretend things are all right just by turning on our iPods (or, for true sentimentalists, our record players).
It’s from this group that Real Estate emerges. While Best Coast plays up California haziness and Surfer Blood revels in its Florida roots, this four-piece from New Jersey embraces a sound befitting the mid-Atlantic seaboard’s shore.
Think sundrenched, think sentimental, and—yes—think subtle. On Real Estate’s eponymous debut album, fittingly released by buzz label Woodsist last week, the songs are in no rush. The hooks are there—and enough “uh oh” choruses to have you singing along—but they take their time.

And why should they rush? With the sweet months of summer limited, you want to squeeze as much out of them as possible. Having an album you can play year round - not to mention dreamy pop gems to distract you from the world beyond your headphones - just might be pure bliss.
REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

Visit myspace.com/letsrockthebeach for more info.



This story was published on November 23, 2009.