Real Estate, "Real Estate" (Woodsist)
Hyped on: The Needle Drop; The NJ Underground; The Decibel Tolls
MySpace
Who: Comprised of four young guns outta suburban New Jersey, Real Estate cut their teeth playing indie-pop in their parents’ basements and at house shows. Oh, and they’re old friends with Vivian Girls. Did we mention that frontman Martin Courtney used to be in Titus Andronicus, and that these dudes got heavy buzz at this year’s CMJ Music Marathon?
What: Courtney has said he was trying to start a band with a “summer-type vibe,” and he has certainly accomplished that with Real Estate. Somehow, though, instead of the usual SoCal ever-sunny pop approach, Real Estate attain a more nuanced version of a day at the beach. Maybe it’s the layered sound (lots of shimmering, loads of reverb) or the slightly detached vocals, but this seems more like an afternoon at the Jersey shore spent thinking of the past and hoping for a brighter future. Dig up the appropriately titled “Beach Comber” or the instrumental “Atlantic City” for a quick hit and you’ll get it.
Made for: Hipsters not yet ready to mothball their brimmed straw hats. Those who recall their favorite times at the beach through a grainy 8mm-film filter-of-the-mind. Anyone seeking an endless aural summer that doesn’t involve allusions to Brian Wilson or surfing.
X-Factor: Back in the day, an earlier band comprised of a modified Real Estate lineup performed an all-Strokes-covers set at one of the Vivian Girls’ sweet 16 birthday party. Could a tri-state supergroup be far off? – KND
The Very Best, "Warm Heart of Africa" (Green Owl)
Hyped on: Stereogum; Look at me, I made a blog; Pretty Much Amazing
MySpace
Who: After a chance encounter at a London secondhand store, Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya and DJ/production duo Radioclit first collaborated on 2008’s border erasing mixtape, “Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit Are the Very Best,” a skilled mashup of Hans Zimmer and Michael Jackson samples merged with Mwamwaya’s crystal clear signing (mostly in his native Chichewa). The album made many year-end lists—hitting at a time of peaking interest in Afro-pop, fueled by the success of Vampire Weekend.
What: “Warm Heart of Africa” is the collective’s first proper studio release and does not let up, beginning with a superb title track (featuring VW’s Ezra Koenig) that bleeds traditional hand drumming into Radioclit’s studio wizardry—the crunchy beat alone is as hypnotic as the pitch-perfect duet. "Kamphopo," which also appeared on the mixtape, joyfully samples the steel drums of a long-forgotten Architecture in Helsinki track, and “Chalo” opens with huge ‘80s synth chords—“808s & Heartbreak” huge. The language barrier is more of a curiosity than impediment, thanks to the freshness of the approach.
Made for: Vampire Weekend fans less than impressed with the new songs. Fans of Damon Albarn’s equally ambitious Mali Music project.
X-Factor: Sound mildly interesting? You can download the mixtape for free. – MR
Wetnurse, "Invisible City" (Seventh Rule)
Hyped on: Metal Sucks; crustcake; Lipstuck
MySpace
Who: This New York band, which formed in 2002 with a significantly different lineup, started receiving some notice both in and out of heavy metal circles last year after the release of the band’s second album, “Invisible City.” (Even Pitchfork raved!) The band recently started a tour with labelmates and equally buzzed-about metalheads Atlas Moth.
What: Sometimes not fitting in is the best way to break out. Wetnurse take the scream/growl aesthetic of most modern metal, slow down the tempos by about half, and top it off with a serious case of ADD (like an unexplained, three-minute acoustic outro to “Life at Stake” or the pretty, female, seemingly out-of-nowhere backup vocals on “Missing Lion Returns”). The end result is something that’s as deranged as Dillinger Escape Plan, vocally spastic a la Mike Patton and moody like Isis.
Made for: Indie nerds craving a headbanging moment. Long-lost Mr. Bungle fans. Other good underground metal band that need publicity help (see below).
X-Factor: The band’s best way of getting their name out comes from within—drummer Curran Reynolds moonlights as a metal music publicist and the organizer of New York’s only recurring metal night (Precious Metal at Lit Lounge, every Monday). Unrelated but neat: He also spent several months working with avant-garde filmmaker/Bjork-mate Matthew Barney on a gallery show. – KM
Pantyraid, "The Sauce" (Marine Parade)
Hyped on: The Culture of Me; the bomarr blog; rock the dub
MySpace
Who: Martin Folb, who produces under the name MartyParty, and Josh Mayer, one-third of the L.A. production team Glitch Mob, met at something called the Manifesto Gathering in Costa Rica, which brings to mind hippie drum circles and tired Burning Man techno. But don’t worry—these guys both know how to get crunk, and their Pantyraid collaboration is every bit as filthy-minded as its name implies.
What: Imagine if Lil Jon discovered U.K. dubstep after one too many hits of the brown acid and you begin to have a sense of how deliciously grimy, glitchy, spooky and twisted this “Sauce” is. “Too Fine to Do Time” drops what sounds like a phased-out Britney Spears vocal over wobbly beats and dive-bombing bass; “Enter the Machine” is apocalyptic crunk-rock, with laser-like synths strafing the occasional Hotlanta cry of “OK!” from beneath the rubble on the dance floor. These aren’t just warped club tracks, though; Folb and Mayer have a flair for unexpected details, like the eerie piano outro that overtakes the mournful beats of “Our Second Chance” and the tribal chants that compete with robotic breakbeats on “Worship the Sun.” Dazzlingly inventive, futuristic stuff.
Made for: Club kids bored with four-on-the-floor beats. Anyone who spends way too much money downloading tracks from the dubstep and breaks sections of Beatport.com.
X-Factor: Mayer’s DJ/production alias with Glitch Mob is Ooah—which may be our favorite DJ name, ever. – AH
