indie rock cafe

realestatedebutalbumSummer still lingers in the musical meanderings of one of today's best new indie releases. The long-awaited debut LP from New Jersey 'buzz' band Real Estate is out today, and for those who received an advance copy last month, we can tell you that it's one of the best indie rock debuts of 2009. That's saying a lot in a year in which there have been so many impressive debuts. Band members Martin Courtney, Matthew Mondanile, Etienne Pierre Duguay and Alex Bleeker got the ears of music bloggers and others as far back as last March during Austin's South by Southwest conference, and they haven't let go since.

As their 'buzz band' status - an admittedly overused term, but which is quite fitting of the band's warm, hazy sound - increased with the temperatures throughout the summer months, Real Estate began to draw big crowds wherever they performed, and were were one of the most talked, and blogged, about bands at last month's CMJ 'fest' in New York City. Music lovers and others sought them out to soak up some of Real Estate's summeresque sounds; a blend of carefully baked, ethereal psychedelic pop mixed with a constant slow flow of folky vibes, booming drums, muted, unassuming vocals and ambient electric guitar jams.

The band's themes and lyrics combine the dreary monotony of castaway suburban life ("Suburban Beverage," "The Mall," etc.) with endless aquatic references ("Pool Swimmers," "Let's Rock the Beach," "Green River," and so on), tie-dyed harmonies, glo-fi reverberations and lazy, understated melodies.

"Beach Comber" - Real Estate from s/t debut (2009)

It is no surprise that Real Estate have been frequently compared to The Clean, The Beach Boys, Galaxie 500 and Jersey's own The Feelies. Real Estate may be dumped on by some indie lo-fi purists (yes, a contradiction in terms), but hey, Jersey is used to being dumped on. (Real Estate remind us much of Blind Man's Colour, a trippy Florida psych pop duo we featured earlier this year as a band to watch, and who were quickly signed to Kanine Records only weeks later).

"Fake Blues" - Real Estate from s/t debut via Stereogum (2009)

"Green River" - Real Estate from s/t debut (2009)

Bonus: "Beach Point Pleasant" - Ducktails (the moniker of band member Mondanile's musical side project)

Other new releases today include the much anticipated debut from the indie rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures - featuring Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones - plus a B-side leak of an upcoming Arctic Monkeys' EP, and bands we think you should hear, including Globes on Remote, Bloodsugars, A Grave with No Name; The Chairs; Mark Matos & Os Beaches and 10 great songs from recent LP and EP releases that you may have missed, but we think you'll enjoy.

"New Fang" - Them Crooked Vultures from s/t debut (2009)

"Fright Lined Dining Room" - Arctic Monkeys from Cornerstone EP (2009)

"D.T. Lipps" - Globes on Remote from The Woo Hoo Hoo (2009)
Double-shot: "Space Camp" - Globes on Remote from The Woo Hoo Hoo (2009)

"The Light at the End of the Tunnel" - Bloodsugars from I Can't Go On, I'll Go On (2009)

"Open Water" - A Grave With No Name from Mountain Debris (2009)

"Charlotte Pipe" - The Chairs from Nine Ways (2009)

"High Priest of the Mission" - Mark Matos & Os Beaches from Words of the Knife (2009)
Double-shot: "Hired Hand" - Mark Matos & Os Beaches from Words of the Knife (2009)

neonindianband

Random Recent Releases You May Have Missed But Should Probably Hear:

"Terminally Chill" - Neon Indian from Psychic Chasms (2009)

"Day Glo" - Brazos from Phosphorescent Blues (2009)

"Free Energy" - Free Energy from s/t debut (2009)

"In Steps" - Letting Up Despite Great Faults from s/t debut (2009)

"The Sun Ain't Shining No More" - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour from s/t debut (2009)

"The Economic Chastisement" - Kinch from The Economic Chastisement EP (2009)

"Tunnelvision" - Here We Go Magic from s/t debut (2009)

"Cold Floors" - The Steps from Take It All In (2009)

"Wohlwill" - Friska Viljor from New Beginnings (2009)

"Invisible Forces" - The Fresh and Onlys from Grey-Eyed Girls (2009)

What do you think of these songs? Use the comments link below, Facebook, Twitter or whatever social network you prefer to interact with thousands of music lovers, band members and music professionals every day from around the world.

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  12:17 PM November 17, 2009      MP3 Policy  View Labels/Tags

6 Comments:

At 5:04 PM , Anonymous Blake said...

Excellent review of Real Estate! I saw them live and have been hooked ever since. Enjoy this site a lot!

 
At 8:13 AM , Blogger The Lion & The Teacup said...

Excited to see The Steps on here. Excellent.

 
At 1:26 PM , Anonymous Evie D. said...

Awesome playlist, as always! Just wanted to note that you guys have Letting Up Despite Great Faults' "In Steps" listed, but when you play the song, it actually plays Grand Archives' "Oslo Novelist". Just thought you might want to know! :)

 
At 4:20 PM , Blogger Googe said...

Thanks for the tip Evie, fix made. Awesome song by The Steps for those who are not familiar with the band. - IRC

 
At 9:51 AM , Blogger Mateo said...

Love this site - I even have you listed on my own recently started blog. Check it out if when you have a chance - http://musichound101.blogspot.com and let me know what you think.

Thanks and keep up the solid & thorough work.

 
At 11:16 AM , Anonymous tina gray said...

i feel like a bunch of the albums i found on this list will eventually be taking over the shelves

Christmas Indie Songs:
http://www.ranker.com/list/indie-christmas-albums/christmas-music

 

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bands to watch 2009
2009 Bands To Watch


Current and upcoming releases (US dates)

12/7/09 Ólafur Arnalds - Dyad 1909
1/12/10 Vampire Weekend - Contra
1/19/10 Cold War Kids - Behave Yourself EP
1/19/10 Spoon - Transference
1/26/10 Beach House - Teen Dream
1/26/10 Basia Bulat - Heart Of My Own
2/1/10 Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring
2/2/10 Midlake - The Courage of Others
2/9/10 Yeasayer - Odd Blood
2/23/10 Shout Out Louds - Work
2/23/20 Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
3/2/10 Rogue Wave - Permalight
3/2/10 The Whigs - In The Dark
3/9/10 Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks
3/9/10 Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks
3/16/10 Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do
3/16/10 The Whigs - In The Dark
3/22/10 Jónsi - Go
3/23/10 She & Him - Volume 2
5/4/10 The New Pornographers - Together

Best 2009 Indie Releases

2009 best indie albums
Favorite 2009 indie albums in no particular order; strongly recommend these for your music collection.

Roman Candle - Oh Tall Tree In The Ear
Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy
Fanfarlo - Reservior
Family of the Year - Songbook
The Middle East - The Recordings of the Middle East
Freelance Whales - Weathervanes
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Fountain
The Sun - Don't Let Your Baby Have All The Fun
Kings of Convenience - Declaration of Dependence
Foreign Born - Person To Person
Real Estate - Real Estate
Elephantom - Swim. Towards The Sun
Wiretree - Luck
Them Crooked Vultures - s/t debut
Volcano Choir - Unmap
Au Revoir Simone - Still Night,Still Light
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The Raveonettes - In and Out of Control
Ramona Falls - Intuit
Holiday Shores - Columbus'd The Whim
Why? - Eskimo Snow
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
Cage The Elephant - Cage The Elephant
The Dead Weather - Horehound
Portugal The Man - The Satantic Satanist
Port O'Brien - Threadbare
Broken Records - Until The Earth Begins To Part
Headlights - Wildlife
Bango or Freakout - Upside Down EP
The Clean - Mister Pop
Sin Fang Bous - Clangour
Passion Pit - Manners
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Brazos - Phosphorescent Blues
Spring Tigers - Spring Tigers EP
Sea Wolf - White Water, White Bloom
The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love
Bodies Of Work - Flyers
The XX - XX
The Black Hollies - Softly Towards The Light
Sonic Youth - The Eternal Youth
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Modest Mouse - No One's First and You're Next
Generationals - Con Law
BLK JKS - After Robots
White Denim - Fits/Exposion
Rodrigo y Gabriella - 11:11
Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
Atlas Sound - Logos
The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
Califone - All of My Friends Are Funeral Singers
Taken By Trees - East of Eden
Chet - Chelsea Silver, Please Come
Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young
Washed Out - Life of Leisure
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Deer Tick - Born On Flag Day
The Clientele - Bonfires of Heath
Iron & Wine - Around The Well
Pete Doherty - Grace/Wastelands
It Hugs Back - Inside Your Guitar
Peter Bjorn and John - Living Thing
Conor Oberst & The Mustic Valley Band - Outer South
Paper Route - Absence
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Throw Me The Statue - Creaturesque
The Dodos - Time To Die
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
M. Ward - Hold Time
Deastro - Moondagger
The Decemberists - Hazards of Love
Matt & Kim - Grand
The Antlers - Hospice
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
The Brakes - Touchdown
Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
Frightened Rabbit - Quietly Now
We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
The Times New Viking - Born Again Revisited
A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar
Pet Lions - Soft Right
Paramore - Brand New Eyes
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Beware
Bishop Allen - Grrr
Cage The Elephant - Cage The Elephant
Birds of Avalon - Uncanny Valley
Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
Ben Kweller - Changing Horses
The Acorn - Heron Act
The Twilight Sad - Forget The Night Ahead
AC Newman - Get Guilty
Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid
Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen
Beirut - March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland
The Most Serene Republic - And The Ever Expanding Universe
Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms
Woodpigeon - Treasury Library Canada
Wye Oak - The Knot
Vica Voce - Rose City
Pomegranates - Everyone, Come Outside!
Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Akron/Family - Set Em Wild, Set Em Free
Lemon Sun - Run With the Faithless
Eels - Hombre Lobo
Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band
Mellow Down Easy - Cosmisutra
The Mary Onettes - Dare EP
Odawas - The Blue Depths
The Veils - Sun Gangs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
White Rabbits - It's Frightening
Loney Dear - Dear John
The Lonely Forest - We Sing The Body Electric
The Uglysuit - self-titled debut
Handsome Furs - Face Control
Vampire Hands - Me & You Cherry Red/Cuz It's a Beach Funeral


This list is updated regularly.


Indie Record Labels

this list is regularly updated