Real Estate at The Sail Inn, 11/14/11

I'm not stoked on the current sound of "indie." Real Estate play things more on the traditional jangle pop/C86 side of things, but the band fits into the nebulous state of indie rock circa 2011 -- chillwave over there, lo-fi in the corner, new wave revivalism out back. The pretentious...

By Nicole Smith

November 15, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

I'm not stoked on the current sound of "indie." Real Estate play things more on the traditional jangle pop/C86 side of things, but the band fits into the nebulous state of indie rock circa 2011 -- chillwave over there, lo-fi in the corner, new wave revivalism out back.

The pretentious assholes trying to discover the next big indie band on Sirius/XM are just as annoying to me as they are to you.

Which was precisely why I was hesitant about going to see this band at The Sail Inn. Yep, there were a bunch of pretentious indie kids packing the place, but Real Estate's performance deserved more credit.

Real Estate sounds exactly like the do on tape -- minus a few glitches with the sound guy, who seemed to have trouble throughout the night, starting with opening acts (and local hot dude rocker icon) Ryan Rousseau and His (aptly named) Desert Children and Garden State rockers Big Troubles.

The small number in attendance had me worried: Were there weird crossover fans at GWAR and Black Carl? Eh, not really. Once 10:30 hit, Real Estate brought a crowd.

The band has a pleasant, downcast Galaxie 500 feel, but mostly, they sound like any other college-radio fave or coffee-house playlist band. A few times, on songs like "Suburban Dogs" and show closer "Younger Than Yesterday," they roused me from my sleepy state with sophisticated interplay and swoon-worthy riffs.

But mostly, I just wanted to nap.

Critic's Notebook

Last Night: Real Estate at The Sail Inn

Persoanl Bias: Pitchfork gave their new album, Days, a "best new music" rating. Here's what I think about that: [crickets]

The Crowd: Dudes. Lots and lots of dudes, both young and old (but mostly college-kid-young), ready and willing to party in their cardigans.

Overheard: Chick making her way to the front of the stage to use women's bathroom: "Could the placement of these bathroom be more inconvenient?

Random Notebook Dump: I'm kinda bored.

Real Estate's Set List:

The Jam
Beach Comber
Municipality
Kinder Bluemen
Green Aisles
Suburban Dodge
Easy
Wonder Years
It's Real
Basement
Sunlight Bathed The Golden Glow (Felt cover)
Younger Than Yesterday

Follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.