Real Estate (2) – The Main Thing

Really impressed with this release! The gold record looks nice, gatefold is great, and the record is totally quiet and dynamic.

This is one beautifully packaged gatefold record. Sounds really good and clean too ;)

Very good pressing - the vinyl is flat and very quiet - the music sounds great !

A pressing with virtually no surface noise and a very beautiful tip on jacket? Yeah, this album is that. The only short coming this pressing has is that the mix doesn't sound all too open. It's unfortunately a bit compressed sounding and warm to a fault, which leaves a bit to be desired in terms of clarity. BUT its still a gorgeous album and if you can get it for a good price, grab it!

Heads up: this gold vinyl version is a Domino Mart online exclusive and is distinct from the indie limited black gatefold version. A lot of indie stores have been mixing these versions up in their online listings (as an example, I ordered what was explicitly listed as the gold version but received the black gatefold instead).

I’m sure that if I hadn’t seen the official video of Real Estate’s “Paper Cup,” from their soon to be released album The Main Thing, featuring an enormous guitar spinning squirrel, actually a burned out fat enormous guitar spinning squirrel on his last legs, now relegated to touring kid’s fun centers and matinee movie halls, I would have enjoyed the song much more, as the video was not only prophetic regarding aging rock stars, but creepy in its humanistic nature regarding some sort of machine age cancer, and a ‘give it all you’ve got’ last stance, before dying in the arms of an adoring fan.

See, I just can’t get past this animal animatron with one fractured eye, throwing up it guts, gears, transistors and other essential parts that sustained its life, though methinks it’s all a rather tongue in cheek statement regarding the dismissal of Matt Mondanile from the band, who was fired for his mistreatment of women, wondering if with the release of their album The Main Thing in late February of 2020, it’s possible that Real Estate too are feeling at the end of their life, forever linked to Mondanile’s misdeeds, also relegated to playing small clubs and dive-venues to fans intent on hearing music from their glory days only.

Real Estate have perfected their own sound over the years, deeply crafted dream pop that soared with harmonic melodies, though if this single is any indication as to what’s going to be revealed on the double gold coloured vinyl album, then I’m not sure I wish to take the plunge, as “Paper Cup” feels far to electronically based, synthesized and lacking in any emotional heartfelt human spirit; though perhaps this animatronic squirrel is suggesting that The Main Thing also comes off as rather stylishly artificial.

Of course this leaves me wondering if having Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath lay down the vocals was a wise decision, as it feels like an indication of their lack of sure footedness, after all, this single was designed to feature and showcase the resurfacing of the band, thought the fact is, it doesn’t.

Review by Jenell Kesler

this sleeve is the same as inited one right? Great album

Does anybody know who pressed this, i.e. the black vinyl? Whoever manufactured the vinyl did just about the most amazing job that I have seen and heard in a very long time. Both discs played right through on my vinyl rig without a tick, pop or other extraneous noise! 'Made in the EU' is mentioned on the sleeve. I should say probably that both discs were wet cleaned and ultrasonically cleaned before they were played. I was so happy also to see how perfectly centred the spindle holes on all four sides were located. The latter is very rare on vinyl records pressed in any era? As for the music, Real Estate is a new band to me so I will have to play these records some more before commenting but any band that is favourably compared to Luna, Yo La Tengo, The Feelies etc. gets my attention. Great job Domino U.K.! Actually, the vinyl was pressed by Optimal Media in Germany.

Still available through the Domino Webstore: https://www.dominomusic.com/releases/real-estate/the-main-thing/exclusive-limited-double-lp. Don't pay 50 bucks for this (yet).