Jersey Boys Wax Nostalgic: Real Esate

Jersey-bred hazy rockers Real Estate began jamming together in middle school. They formed the band the summer after graduating from college while they were all living at home in Ridgewood, NJ. The collective experience of growing up in the suburbs is integral to their sound, which is evocative of carefree summer nights. You can also hear the influence of their Garden State predecessors-- the layered guitars and repetitive riffs of the Feelies and the textured, atmospheric soundscapes of Yo La Tengo.

Since releasing their first album in 2009, Real Estate has risen to prominence fairly quickly. For their most recent album, 2011's Days, the band left the hyper-indie Woodsist label to sign with Domino Records (the label of Animal Collective, the Kills, and (smog)). While I liked Days immediately after hearing it late last year, the record has grown richer with repeated listens. It includes a few sunny, radio-friendly tracks ("Easy" and "It's Real"), but the meat of the album is tinged with a nostalgia that is both contemplative and melancholic. Listen to two of my favorite tracks, the lilting, dream-like "Green Aisles" and the wistful "Out of Tune" below.

The overall mood of Days is more transcendent than summer nights in the suburbs. These songs evoke the universal feeling of remembering a time that was simple and beautiful. Martin Courtney's sweeping vocals are ingeniously layered under the guitar-- an occasional word or phrase will burst through with clarity but most of the lyrics are lost in the jangle -- thus mimicking the imprecise, elusive shape of a cherished memory.

I've always been interested in bands that began with childhood friendships. D. Boon and Mike Wyatt of the Minutemen met when they were 13 and together pioneered the genre of alternative rock. J. Mascis and Lou Barlow began playing together in high school-- a tumultuous friendship, yes-- but there's no denying that Dinosaur Jr. put out their best stuff while Lou was still in the band. Likewise, the seamless sound of Real Estate is the product of friends who are deeply in tune with one another, both musically and personally. And despite all of their nostalgia, these guys are still young.

Real Estate plays this Friday, 8/10 at the Paradise.