Except for the recent singles, Real Estate can only be found on this blog, nearly ten years ago. "As a whole 'Atlas' is just a little to neat for me, but when I'm in the right mood the beauty of this album reaches me and is truly appreciated", I concluded then and things have not changed, really.
Daniel is the kind of album that when I'm not paying attention, the album is over without having truly registered the music. Of course there are more bands playing this soft kind of indie music. My favourite is Half Moon Run from Canada. The major difference is, that this band does have a bite every once in a while. Real Estate is modest from beginning to end. As a listener one has to pay attention to recognise the subtleties woven into the songs. Do, and Real Estate's world opens itself for you.
Real Estate originally is from Ridgewood, New Jersey, where core members Martin Courtney and Alex Bleeker already met in third grade. A few members came and went since, the sound has not really changed. I remember not getting into the band's second album 'Days', despite it getting very favourable reviews at the time. This never really changed, yet I'm writing on album number six.
What attracts me, is the delicate arrangements each and every song has. Don't ask me why one album winds up on my writing side and others on the discard one. In the end it must be because the songs on it speak to me more. It's the only explanation I can offer.
Most on Daniel do. This already showed in my reviews of two singles, 'Water Underground' and 'Haunted World'. Both are warm songs that attached themselves easily to my brain, while simultaneously wanting me to hear the album. Although at first listen, I was not convinced, see my review of 'Atlas' also, the album came closer and closer. I even got to hear a modest bite here and there after I got more acquainted with Daniel.
What in the end got to me most are the arrangements of the songs. Martin Courtney's voice is the same, soft entity occupying the centre position the whole of the album. The details in the songs are simply great. A bass coming forward, little bells, synths, an acoustic guitar popping up, a pedal steel, just to name some of the surprising sounds that pop up in a song, to disappear again a little later. Nothing is what it seems in Real Estate's songs, despite that delicacy that I perceive the whole of the time. The basis is far more solid than it seems it turns out.
When all is said and done, Daniel, comes close to Half Moon Run's latest effort 'Salt'. The two albums before that are still out of reach, but who knows? A gap was bridged. Music is not a competition. Comparisons are inevitable though. Daniel has the potential to grow further, as it already has done so.
Wout de Natris
You can listen to and order Daniel here:
https://realestate.bandcamp.com/album/daniel
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