20 Watts

North Jersey has become somewhat of a breeding ground for indie bands. Real Estate is only one of many (Titus Andronicus, Vivian Girls) to come out of this New York suburbia and hit Brooklyn with a force that has taken many by surprise. Whether it’s the classic garage-grunge-rock that started in their parents’ backyards, or the community that formed here and migrated to Brooklyn, it’s definitely a movement that is gaining momentum every day.

Real Estate’s folk-indie rock sound is consistently playing on my computer (often off the myspace because they have yet to release a full length) and sounds like Broken Social Scene spooned with a serving of Smashing Pumpkins. Although the music may seem to lag a bit at first when compared to the electro-pop currently crowding the indie music scene, their texture slowly gains an intricacy and depth similar to Animal Collective’s. They are constantly playing shows at the Market Hotel and Santos’ Party House, and recently played with up and coming bands Wavves and DD/MM/YYYY at the infamous Mercury Lounge. Definitely check out Real Estate’s myspace, specifically the song “Fake Blues.” This band has been on my playlist since early fall and truthfully, Jersey rock never sounded so good.

– K. Zeller