John's Track of the Week: "Beach Comber"

Song: Beach Comber

Artist: Real Estate

Album: Real Estate

Year: 2009

Real Estate is another prime example of how the internet hype machine can possibly be the greatest thing to ever happen to young musicians. The band hails from New Jersey and are not too far removed from college, yet, due to lead singer Martin Courtney's time in Washington state, have been able to recreate the sounds of the Pacific Northwest for us East Coasters, and the country's mass consumption. Half-woodsy, half-surf rock, their debut is a relaxing trip down the Jersey Shore, without all the negatives of, y'know, being in New Jersey.

The album starts out with sterling opener "Beach Comber." It's a fair introduction to the record overall, and really establishes the mood well. With Courtney's Ben Gibbard-esque vocals, set against a folksy, Cave Singers-type riff, the track leaps and bounds at a pleasant tempo. Noticeably, the track, and the album as a whole, is devoid of self-awareness. The band delivers decisively as old pros, rather than rookies to the game. It's a refreshing jaunt into the freedoms of youth, and in the end, you come out better for it. Check it out below, courtesy of Pitchfork, if you haven't already.

Real Estate -- "Beach Comber"