Sometimes its the simple things that can be the most memorable. When discussing the term in relation to music, there are numerous factors which come into play, not least of all is its' absolute subjectivity. What one person finds simple, another may label as lazy or half-formed. And so the debate continues as to the exact nature of this elusive idea, when in reality there is no definitive answer to satisfy everyone.
But simple means more than just the absence of complexity. With music, it can come to define entire genres and trends in popular music. And different albums handle this decidedly complex idea in varying ways and to varying degrees of success. You can listen to the barely-there acoustics of an album like Days In The Wake by Palace Brothers or the acoustical theatrics of The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death by John Fahey and realize that simple is not limited to an idea of stripped down instrumentation. The ideas that simmer beneath the surface of these albums maintain their potency, not because they are considered simple, though in execution they could indeed be labeled as such, but through the force of their intense creative construction. And the opposite can be true as well. Just look to the radio for bands who think that an acoustic guitar equals "feeling". But to equate the idea of a song being simple with just its instrumentation is obviously missing the point. There are more things to consider when making that assessment.
Among the current crop of bands which have fixated on the breezy, carefree aspects of indie rock, Real Estate ply more weight and creative ingenuity from this often derided musical niche than should be considered able. On Days, the follow-up to their self-titled debut, they've managed to use the swirling, chiming guitars which wound around the songs on that album and polished them to a fine sheen. The interplay between singer Martin Courtney's vocals, the clever fretwork of guitarist Mondanile, quicksilver bass of Alex Bleeker and insistent though never overpowering drums of Etienne Duguay--who left the band this year and was replaced by drummer Jonah Maurer--drift in among each other so easily and seemlessly that the band never appears to be out of sync with one another, this musical congruity shepherding the bands collective creativity to its logical end. Opener "Easy" defines the album as it rolls along freely towards some hazy destination, where the journey taken can be more important than where you wind up being. The guitars cleanly chime in and out, almost seeming to be plucked out of the air. They're draped across the barest of musical structures to create a testament to what a band can do when focused on how simple music can be. And while this song never feels as though the band held back or purposefully stripped down the sound, it does feel simplified. The vocals never feel overcooked, nor the backing tracks superfluous. "It's Real" and "Green Aisles" are both showcases for how Real Estate eschew popular indie trends and focus on how best to integrate their own 80's pop gleam influences and develop a sound which neither adhers too close to homage nor feels wildly exclusive to those who fell in love with their debut. By taking the concept of what simple can be and twisting in on itself, Real Estate have shown that this idea can be whatever you want it to be, whether it be a clear interpretation of their own influences or a simple melody played expertly by those who cherish the idea behind it. As a cohesive whole, Days stands as proof that a band need not be anchored to a specific musical loyalty to invoke the ageless simplicity which comes from listening to something that resonates so singularly within you.
Tracklisting:
01. Easy
02. Green Aisles
03. It’s Real (listen to the mp3 below)
04. Kinder Blumen
05. Out Of Tune
06. Municipality
07. Wonder Years
08. Three Blocks
09. Younger Than Yesterday
10. All The Same
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