Despite an ever-increasing infatuation with newer, technologically driven styles of electronic and hip-hop music, more relaxed melody-based music continues to find success among many audiences. Few bands today do a better job of sticking with a classic sound than Real Estate. The band's most recent album, Atlas," is a testament to the group's ability to successfully continue creating the exact same kind of music that characterized their rise to stardom.
Arriving during a particularly cold spell in the northeast, the casual, summer-sounding vibe of this album is certain to brighten listeners' days. In fact, it features the kind of music that is reminiscent of lazy afternoons spent driving aimlessly around suburban neighborhoods. By utilizing relatively simple drumbeats and emphasizing the dancing rhythm of the guitar, Real Estate is able to produce indisputably pleasant music. Frontman Martin Courtney uses his understated voice almost like another instrument, letting it gently accompany the guitars. One can imagine the bandmates in their native New York City suburb of Ridgewood, N.J., driving around tree-lined streets between neat houses and kids playing stickball, while this album plays soothingly in the background.
The simple guitar riffs and calm rhythms - best described in a single word as "chill" - belie the dark undertones that sometimes reside in the lyrics of the songs. As always, Real Estate possesses a clear nostalgic wistfulness that longs for the sunny days of youth and the carefree feelings of summer. "Crime," which mentions "crippling anxiety," is a good example of this dichotomy of light and dark. Ultimately about confusion, the track offers listeners a window into the trademark Real Estate lyrical melancholia with lines like, "Toss and turn all night / don't know how to make it right." "April's Song" succeeds in generating both mood and imagery without any lyricism, but fails to achieve the incredible feeling of exploration and childlike wonder that was captured on one of their previous instrumental tracks, "Kinder Blumen," from "Days" (2011).
Real Estate has been sticking to this tried-and-true formula since their eponymous 2009 debut. At times, it seems as if their entire discography could smoothly fit on one album
