One of last year’s stand out albums was the heady, sprawling, guitar jams by New Jersey’s Real Estate. The record, Days, is one of those reclining-in-the-sun-with-eyes-half-closed kind of blissful, multi-layered, indie rock odes to summer that is endlessly listenable. Singer/guitarist Martin Courtney provided us with an insight into what kind of music has influenced the Real Estate sound with a list of his favourite songs…
Built to Spill – Kicked It In The Sun “One of my favorite songs from when I was in high school. Lots of good memories attached to this one. I love how every song on this album moves from section to section without repeating anything that came before. ‘Movements’ instead of the standard verse/chorus/verse structure. So many ideas packed into these nine songs.”
Broadcast – Before We Begin “Another jam from high school that I still love. It sounds like a commercial jingle from the 50s that got warped or deteriorated with the passage of time. The jazzy drumming with that cavernous reverb has always represented some kind of zenith in recorded drum sound for me.”
The Jesus and Mary Chain – Happy When it Rains “I only recently got into this band but feel like I’ve always known their music because of its obvious influence on most of the music I love. It’s like when you see a scene in a movie or read something in a book and finally understand a Simpsons reference from when you were a kid. I love their first album but the way it was recorded renders it virtually unlistenable on the crappy stereo in our van, it just sounds like hiss. “Darklands” is almost as excellent in my opinion, and it really helps that they toned down the high end a bit.”
John Fahey – Orinda-Moraga “I could’ve put almost any Fahey song here, his songs are almost interchangeable in that they’re all perfect for a certain mood, or to put you in a certain mood. His melodies are so complex but also immediate and pretty. It definitely gets lodged in your head and has worked it’s way into a lot of the music I’ve written.”
The Kinks – Do You Remember Walter “When we started Real Estate I had it in my head that I just wanted us to sound like the Kinks, especially the drumming. Those fills are so excellent. I just love the bouncy style a lot of their songs have, kind of silly lyrics sometimes, unexpected melodies. They don’t take themselves too seriously. The original indie rock band.”
Yo La Tengo – You Can Have It All “I couldn’t not put a YLT song on here. I can listen to this band any time, one of my favorites. They have such a great way of letting each song define the way it’s arranged, or maybe it’s the other way around. Every song on a record can sound totally different, but you immediately know it’s them. I really don’t know what it is about this band, they just put me in a really good mood.”
Tickets to Real Estate’s first Australian tour dates are on sale now. Don’t miss out.
Real Estate Tour Dates:
Friday 9 March – The Standard – Sydney.
With special guests The Twerps and SURES.
Tickets from Moshtix, online www.moshtix.com.au, by phone 1300 Get Tix (438 849), on your mobile via www.moshtix.mobi and Moshtix outlets. Also available through Penny Drop online: http://pennydrop.oztix.com.au.
Saturday 10 March – Golden Plains – Meredith (sold out).
Monday 12 March – Corner Hotel – Melbourne.
With special guests The Twerps and SURES.
Presented by Triple R
Tickets from the Corner Box Office, www.cornerhotel.com, by phone 9427 9198 and 57 Swan St, Richmond 10am-8pm Mon- Sat.
Tuesday 13 March – The Zoo – Brisbane.
With special guests Tight Slip and Feathers.
Tickets from Penny Drop online: http://pennydrop.oztix.com.au and Oztix by phone 1300 762 545, from the venue, online at www.thezoo.com.au and the usual outlets.
Title Image Provided by Real Estate
