Wild Animal Kingdom Records just reissued an early recording by former Olympia resident and current Real Estate front man Martin Courtney IV. Floating in a nostalgic dreamscape is the vibe on "I Will Be", an eerily tranquil soft excursion with nods to Taking Tiger Mountain-era Eno and Brian Wilson, who actually appears for a short moment during the outro. Check WAKR for more details soon.
Friday, June 4, 2010
mp3: Pario Marty "I Will Be"
Wild Animal Kingdom Records just reissued an early recording by former Olympia resident and current Real Estate front man Martin Courtney IV. Floating in a nostalgic dreamscape is the vibe on "I Will Be", an eerily tranquil soft excursion with nods to Taking Tiger Mountain-era Eno and Brian Wilson, who actually appears for a short moment during the outro. Check WAKR for more details soon.
Monday, March 15, 2010
mp3: Real Woods "No Rain" (Blind Melon Cover)
Monday, March 8, 2010
pics: Real Estate House Party
Friday, December 25, 2009
mix: Underwater Peoples Winter Review
Underwater Peoples Winter Review
1. Julian Lynch - Es's
2. Pill Wonder - Restless
3. Ducktails - Apple Walk
4. Fluffy Lumbers - Adoration
5. Big Troubles - Former Selves
6. Andrew Cedermark - Ad Infinitum
7. Frat Dad - Totally Afraid
8. Dana Jewell - My T-Train Girl
9. Air Waves - Sweetness
10. Family Portrait - Killer Statements
11. Alex Bleeker - These Days
12. Mountain Man - Dog Song
13. Real Estate - Orchard
14. Rainbow Bridge - Rain Nair
15. Liam the Younger - Please See
Download Underwater Peoples Winter Review (direct download)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
video: Real Estate "Basement"
One of my favorite new Real Estate songs, if not my favorite, "Basement" will appear on the forthcoming Mexican Summer 12-inch, due out sometime before the end of the year. As is usually the case with video shot by Mr. Ray Concepcion, I'll let the visuals speak for themselves, as words will do no justice.
Monday, October 26, 2009
video: Real Estate "Black Lake" at CMJ
Last week was hectic, hence no real posting. Either way, another great, chaotic week at CMJ, even though I did my best to keep it rather low key. Such is the vibe in this c. axel capture of Real Estate Friday night at the Chocolate Bobka/twosyllable/Underwater Peoples Showcase at the Delancey. A host of issues had bands running a late and Real Estate didn't go on 'til roughly 2:45 am, an hour after when they were supposed to finish. Every one was exhausted. Yet, by the time they took the stage, a sense of calm engulfed the room, as there was no fooling who everyone was there to see. Of course, after returning from a short tour with Japandroids and playing an additional two weeks worth of shows during CMJ, Real Estate were on fire, playing cuts from their soon to be released self titled debut on Woodsist (pick it up at a show), as well as more obscure cuts like "Atlantic City" and new bomb "Basement." Big ups to Ettienne, Bleeker, Marty and Matt for going on wicked late and still killing it. Quite the end to a pretty darn good, rainy night.
Friday, October 16, 2009
CMJ: Underwater Peoples Afternoon Delight
As CMJ nears I think its important to hint you to another choice showcase. Yes, yes, we're brosefs with the Underwater Peoples crew and love posting their "sick jams" as "mp3s" and all, but what really matters is "feeling" the music maan. Said music can be felt, and will feel you (it might get uncomfortable, beware!), next Saturday afternoon, October 24th 2009, at the Cameo Gallery in Williamsburg. Like the Late Summr Showcase, Afternoon Delight will highlight nearly every single Underwater Peoples affiliate, from Fluffy Lumbers to Air Waves to Liam the Younger to a full-on Pill Wonder 7-member experience. Best of all, its during the day, so be prepared to suck down at least your body weight in Bloody Mary's and bagels. All info above.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
CMJ: Official Show at The Delancey
| Delancey Lounge 168 Delancey St at Clinton St) New York, NY |
Doors 7:30pm
8:00-8:25 - Eternal Summers
8:40-9:10 - Inlets
9:25-9:55 - Pill Wonder
10:10-10:40 - Holiday Shores
10:55-11:25 - Frat Dad
11:40-12:10 - NewVillager
12:25-12:55 - Claymation Velociraptor
1:10-1:40 - Real Estate
DJS: BELL, Pumpkin Patch, Drew H
Monday, September 14, 2009
video: Real Estate "Fake Blues"
While I was fortunate enough to head to Kutsher's this past weekend for ATPNY, more on that later, there was certainly no lack of choice shows in the city. Between the Grouper/Julianna Barwick/Tim Hecker Wordless Music Series at the Miller Theatre Friday, Big Troubles/Zola Jesus/Desolation Wilderness/Real Estate gig Saturday at Silent Barn and the secret D'Angelo show last night, it's safe to say that even if you didn't get to ATP, you could have easily taken in a weekend of extremely beautiful music. That said, I wasn't too surprised to received a text from c.axel post-Animal Collective Saturday night that read, "This is the best 'Fake Blues' ever." Skeptical, at best, though optimisitic as Axel has seen his fair share of Real Estate gigs, this video finds Real Estate capturing the essence of seasonal change; the different manifestations, the morphing and evolving, the light and dark. It's all here. While much is often noted about Real Estate and the beach, and yeah it's certainly a touch point, I can't help thinking about the long winter afternoon's I spent with tunes like "Suburban Beverage" and "Fake Blues," both of which are as dreamy, mellow and perfect for autumn, as they were summer, as they were spring and winter before. It's not summer music people, it's life music.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
video: Real Estate "Green River>Suburban Beverage"
Real Estate jamming in a backyard in New Jersey at dusk is exactly how you want to hear their blissful tunes. After morphing from the Julian Lynch band into Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, the group took the stage as Real Estate, with Samuel Franklin (Frat Dad, Fluffy Lumbers) replacing Etienne on drums, for a mini-sesh captured by C.Axel. "Green River > Suburban Beverage," or, what in typical Dead head fashion I've dubbed, "Green Beverage," begins with the sun slowly sinking behind the tree's of the Garden State as Martin Courtney waxes lackadaisically about the joys of taking a stroll by the river side. By the time, "Green River" ebbs and flows into "Suburban Beverage," night has fallen. Lightning bugs were lighting up the backyard. 9+ minutes of sheer groove.
Monday, August 3, 2009
video: Alex Bleeker & the Freaks "Summer>Epilogue"
There is really no better excuse to leave Brooklyn than to head to a backyard show in North Jersey. Even more so when the lineup consists of Julian Lynch, Real Estate, Frat Dad, Family Portrait, Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, and many, many more. So, on a sunny Saturday, a seemingly rare thing in the metro area, we headed out to Glen Rock to do just that; see some great bands, hang some like-minded folk, and, simply, straight chill. And that we did. One of the best parts of the day was seeing Alex Bleeker & the Freaks tear into "Summer>Epilogue," a loose, yet clamp tight country ballad, that, at first, seems like the Dead channeling Live Rust Neil Young. Of course, Alex Bleeker & the Freaks are a sort of re-worked version of Real Estate, featuring Martin Courtney on bass, Matt Mondanile on drums and guitar player Julian Lynch coaxing vibrant grooves from his sky-birthed Telecaster. If you haven't heard this tune, well, you should probably dig up some choice Dead bootlegs circa '77 and familiarize yourself with the "source" material. If you're too lazy to do that, which, essentially means you are one-helluva-lazy-mofo, then just watch this footage c. axel poekel III shot of Bleeker & the Freaks in Adir's backyard. Jersey never sound so fine. (Born To Run= the obvious exception.) Expect more video in the coming days.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Bobkast #28: Daydreaming of Topless Sunbathers
I've lived in a lot of places and all of them have had watering holes. In Connecticut, it was the sound. North Carolina, the creek. New Jersey, the lake. Upstate NY, the rope swing river. Louisiana, the gulf. Wyoming, the Snake River. Yet, despite being an island, NYC just doesn't have any swimming hole worthy waterways.And so, instead, we head to the roof. Kiddie pools can be purchased at the Polish grocery store near the park. Coolers are hauled up ladders, extension cords thrown like grappling hooks from fire escapes in order to power up the boom box. Unfortunately, we don't have a hose, so we have to fill the kiddie pool with Dixie Cups. Hopefully it won't take more than three hours. Our beach chairs set up, lemonade in hand and feet soaking in the lukewarm kiddie pool water, we doze off into a sea of daydreams...
... The crisp sparkle of the Mediterranean glistening like fresh glaze on a sour cream doughnut. North Africans kicking the football in the sand. A few french girls playing kadima. Thousands of beautiful topless women soaking up the sun. Its just enough to make you forget that you are on a roof in North Greenpoint across the street from a stone importer-exporter and down the block from the glowing blue phosphoressence of the Newtown Creek Water Treatment Facility.
It's not much, but it's all we got.
Bobkast #28: Daydreaming of Topless Sunbathers
1. Marconi Notaro- Oh, Greedy Life
2. Atlas Sound- Walkabout (featuring Noah Lennox)
3. Javelin- Tell Me What It Will Be? (Take Two)
4. WAVVES- Mickey Mouse (demo)
5. Erawan Band- Khan Muangkhan
6. St. Augustin & his Rovers Dance Band- Onwu Ana Dike
7. Os Brazoes- Gotham City
8. Surfs- Ti Ser S Mi Baby
9. Cass McCombs- Dreams Come True Girl (featuring Karen Black)
10. Magic Kids- Hey Boy
11. Fool's Gold- Surprise Hotel
12. Derrick Laro & Trinity- Don't Stop Til You Get Enough
13. DJ Kaod- Love The Night Away (TieDye remix)
14. Major Lazer- Can't Stop Me Now (featuring Mr. Vegas & Jovi Rockwell)
15. Madlib- The Sky (Beyond Sight)
16. Alex Bleeker & the Freaks- Summer Song->Epilogue (Live)
17. Box Elders- Death of Me
18. Beach Fossils- Lazy Day
19. Real Estate- Green River->Suburban Beverage
20. Fresh & Onlys- Peacock & Wing
21. Ganglians- Cryin' Smoke
Download Bobkast #28: Daydreaming of Topless Sunbathers(PC: Right Click + Save As; Mac; option + click)
Friday, July 17, 2009
live: Real Estate/Woods at Cameo Gallery
(photo: ryan muir, via real estate's myspace)A couple of notes and observations on last evening's Mexican Summer/InSound showcase at Cameo Gallery, featuring Golden Triangle, Real Estate and Woods.
- Golden Triangle slay. I am dissappointed in myself for neglecting them due to the inclusion of 'Golden' in their name. I apologize.
- I've said this before, but Real Estate keep getting better. I think the NJ comrades may have played everything in their repertoire, including a new instrumental (new to me, at least). Real Estate ended with Grateful Dead-esque segue from "Green River" into "Suburban Beverage." I'm going to name this pairing the "Green Beverage."
- Matt Mondanile's playing is getting a bit out of hand. His licks are so languid its as if his axe cuts songs out of lazy days. Like he's a widdler shaping a stump into a Mickey Mouse mailbox.
- Woods are harnessing some otherwordly power and channeling it through god knows what, just as solar panels harness the strength of the sun. Spacial jams, Mississippi auto-mechanic freakouts, whispered relics. I have strange feeling Woods may be aliens.
- Said Aliens have also released a live bootleg LP dubbed Acoustic Family Creeps, a collection of acoustic tracks recorded in the woods in France. The one-sided affair includes "Rain On," "Twisted Tongue," "To Clean," and "The Hold." After one spin, I can highly rec'd getting your hands on one of these gems.
Woods- Rain on Radio
Real Estate-Green River
Monday, June 29, 2009
live: Beach Fossils, Real Estate, Girls
Friday night at Water St's Monster Island Basement was one of the best lineups of the year, if not for the plethora of future stars then for it's unbriddled cohessiveness. Hats off to Todd P, who, once again, curated a night of near-perfect music from Beach Fossils, Real Estate, Girls and Kurt Vile & the Violators. Hazy surf-psych, lazy beach pop, narcotic Costello grooves and mega-feedback, it was almost as if the boundaries dividing each act bleed into each other, so that the revolving cast of musicians, actually felt like a revovling cast, rather than a drastic 180 degree turn taking . While Girls wowed me for the second night, especially their righteous cover of Vivian Girls "Wild Eyes" and Real Estate showed that they just keep getting tighter and tighter, the real surprise of the night was Beach Fossils, whom, despite being a one-man act on record, really fleshed their sound out nicely for the live performance. The band's short, remarkably clear sounding set include Bobka-favorites "Daydream" and "Vacation," as well as "Lazy Day", which continues Beach Fossils "I'm really baked and it's way too hot to do anything but pass out in the sun" vibe. While I heard muttering that Beach Fossils vocal effect may have been "a little much," I'm going to let it slide, as the warbled-flange is the vocal equivalent to someone muttering strange thoughts in your ear whilst passed out on the beach.Beach Fossils- Vacation
Real Estate- Black Lake
Girls covering "Wild Eyes" at Cake Shop (Shot by Bill)
Girls "Solitude" (new song)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
bobkast #27: Polaroids at the Beach
(photo by margaret zyro)Ok, here's the plan: We're all going to quit our day jobs and shack up at my grandparent's beach house for the summer. (They're old and forgot they have a beach house.) Then we'll get sweet jobs like, Ice Cream Man, Italian Ice Guy, Fish Delivery Dude and Badge Checker Chick. We'll live off grilled cheese sandwiches and milkshakes. And margaritas. We'll have unlimited ice cream, and freeze pops. You can buy like 500 freezepops at the gas station for like $5. It's sick. We'll just wear Umbro's every day. No shoes. And it won't even matter when you jump into the ocean with your clothes on at 4 in the morning and your cell phone dies, cause, well, it just won't matter. And well ride bikes. It's gonna be so rad.
Boobkast #27: Polaroid's at the Beach
Quiet Village- Victoria's Secret
Real Estate- Beach Comber
Beach Fossils- Vacation
Holiday Shores- Phones Don't Feud
Ganglians- Lost Word
Strawberry Fair- Give Up
Ducktails- Let's Rock The Beach
Juana Molina- No Llama
The Tough Alliance- Hung Up On A Dream (Zombies cover)
The Ruby Suns- Ole Rinka
High Places- From Stardust to Sentence
The Mayfair Set- Desert Fun
Jacuzzi Boys- Island Ave
The Meanest Boys- I Don't
Ms. Tyree "Sugar" Jones- If You Feel It
Rodriquez- Sugar Man
Reefer- Blue Moon
Sore Eros- Whisper Me
tUne-YaRdS- FIYA
Wilson Simonal- Escola em Luto
Sandbar- Fresh Life
Stag Hare- Allah
Download Bobkast #27: Polaroids at the Beach (PC: Right Click + Save As; Mac; option + click)
Monday, June 15, 2009
Northside Recap: Real Estate at DBA
Real Estate- Black Lake
Monday, June 8, 2009
mp3: Beach Fossils "Vacation", "Daydream"
Waking up all foggy on a hazy morning with peanut butter on my breath, espresso penetrating my nasal passage, and Beach Fossils "Vacation" radiating through my ear drums felt like a moment of semi-cosmic clarity. My senses were a buzz, yet, despite the undeniable strength of Stumptown's Hairbender, I still felt like I was drifting through Maya Lin's Wave Field at Storm King, the landscape undulating like an ancient oscillating synthesizer– a rippled world. Beach Fossils, a dreamy bliss pop act from Brooklyn, whose associations with Woodsist, Captured Tracks and Underwater People's places him as part of the neo-Urban sylvan-beach psyche community (Woods, Ganglians, Real Estate, Ducktails), is the sound of escaping into a sun washed Polaroid from Rockaway Beach– the Atlantic to your east, Queens to the west. Beach Fossils have a number of upcoming shows in NYC, including one, appropriately, this Sunday at Fort Tilden in Rockaway Beach. That show, aka Todd P's annual Unamplified BBQ, also features Kurt Vile, Phosphorescent, Shilpa Ray, Real Estate (& Ducktails), Teengirl Fantasy, and, literally, like a hundred more bands. Oh yeah, and it's free. So yeah, you should probably get there if you can. If you can't make it Sunday, do your best to catch Beach Fossils with Real Estate and San Francisco's Girls at the Monster Island Basement on Friday June 26th, which is sure to be one for the ages.Beach Fossils- Vacation
Beach Fossils- Daydream
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
live: Ducktails on WFMU
I've posted about this Ducktails WFMU performance before but this morning the "Extended Jam" from Matt Mondanile's Christmas Eve live set on Marty McSorley's radio show came on shuffle and literally eased any sense of ill will in my mind. Like some sort of cosmic wave, it seemed to transcend the red brick walls of my apartment, as if it were seeping from the sun dazed clouds lofting above Greenpoint. I make allusions to music soundtracking life/nature rather often, but I'm 100% convinced that Ducktails "Extended Jam" was a curious case of nature soundtracking life, as if Matt Mondanile had found his way into Professor Coldheart's Freeze Machine and rid the world of darkness by showering the planet with sun-washed acid rays and mystical pellets of ease.Ducktails- Extended Jam
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
bobkast #24: Everything's New
(photo by I, Timmy)If one were to awake from a sylvan daydream ala Rip Van Winkle, one would be able to hear and feel the world bursting with raw energy ("These Blues"). Moving through the forest, wide-eyed and romantic in the new world ("Bluish"), one begins to philosophize ("Fake Blues") and discovers he/she is all alone in the universe ("Baby, Don't Go", "Terrapin"). Self-examination kicks in ("It's Up to You"). And, ultimately, realization ("Moments in the Snow").
Awash in an existential whirlwind ("Whiteout"), one concludes that life is both sad and beautiful, yet doesn't care because it's much more fun to laugh and dance and sing ("Hellhole Ratrace"). Mental joy gives way to meditation and new-age soul searching ("The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything", "Karmic Dream Sequence #1"). Things are getting heavy, maaan ("Keep It Heavy"). But heavy is overwhelming. Good vibes much preferred ("Khala My Friend"). Alas, everything is new ("Everything's Big").
Bobkast #24: Everything's New
1. Spiritualized- These Blues (demo)
2. Animal Collective- Bluish
3. Real Estate- Fake Blues
4. dum dum girls- Baby Don't Go
5. Syd Barrett- Terrapin (Peel Session)
6. Shop Assistants- It's Up To You
7. Comet Gain- Moments in the Snow
8. Lotus Plaza- Whiteout
9. Girls- Hellhole Ratrace
10. Love- The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything
11. The Millennium- Karmic Dream Sequence #1
12. Creme Soda- Keep It Heavy
13. Amanaz- Khala My Friend
14. Here We Go Magic- Everything's Big
Download Bobkast #24: Everything's New (PC: right click +save as| Mac: option+click)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
we saw: Real Estate @ Dead Herring
(photo by NY Rock Market)Saturday nights unseasonably warm weather was a welcome change from the early week blizzard and a good sign for an evening with NJ hazy dream poppers Real Estate. The band 's set was similar to the one they played Tuesday night at Glasslands, albeit this time marred by mic problems rather than power issues. Regardless, while Real Estate certainly has a few mountains to climb, they are undoubtedly on their way to great things. Case in point, Mr. P4k Ryan Schreiber was one of a handful of young rapscallions in attendance, which is a nice way of saying "buy Real Estate's 7" ASAP before it pulls a Vivian Girls and starts going for $80 on eBay." The band is playing a bunch of shows along the East Coast en route to SXSW, where they will play at least 7 shows, none of which are official showcases. I'd recommend checking them out, and copping that Suburban Beverage 7" on white vinyl.
Real Estate- Suburban Beverage
Real Estate- Black Lake