On Tuesday Real Estate played at The Bishop, their third visit to the downtown Bloomington venue, and they did not disappoint. EZTV opened for Martin Courtney there in February while he was touring for his solo album. They were back with Courtney, now with the rest of Real Estate, to again open the show. Their performance was engaging, addressing the crowd with funny anecdotes, and complimented Real Estate's hazy sound well. The bands lead singer, Ezra Tenebaum, even mentioned during their set that this was the best they’ve sounded on tour yet. Just a few minutes past 10, the four members of Real Estate took to the stage and opened their set with “Crime,” from the band's third album Atlas. Being a fan myself, hearing the distinct guitar riff that the song opens with elevated my excitment for the rest of the show to come, and based on jam-packed room of people singing along once the verse began, I was not alone.
After playing a couple of old tracks, the band introduced the crowd to a few new cuts. They prefaced this saying much of the album had been created this summer and that it is nearing completion. So be on the lookout, a new album is looming. The only downfall of the evening was the sound quality. This seems to be the “catch-22” of small venues, meaning they offer an intimate environment to see a band and they give much of the crowd a great view, but the sound often suffers as a consequence. Because of this, it was hard to hear the lyrics during some of the songs. That being said, it was still a great show. The set list seamlessly combined the old with the new and their individual instrumentals melted cohesively; this tied with their sweet lyrics made for an evening of soft smiles and wonderfully easy listening.
