After September’s newsletter where I raved about the latest Real Estate album, I wanted to visit where my love of the band started, in 2014 with their Atlas album. ‘Crime’ is the first song we played on our stereo when we moved into our house. We both still love it 10 years later. Atlas was released on March 3, a peculiar coincidence as it’s now our wedding anniversary.
‘Crime’ begins casually, with some guitar strumming and drums, until we’re hit squarely in the face with gorgeously layered guitars playing the verse riff. Lyrically, several lines have always stuck out to me:
Toss and turn all night
Don’t know how to make it right
Crippling anxiety
This crime is getting old
If I may be so bold
Will you go straight with me?
Crippling anxiety” isn’t a phrase you usually hear in songs, along with the line “Will you go straight with me?”. I love the idea of a couple deciding they’ve had enough of their criminal ways and want to start again. Martin Courtenay’s vocal has this effect on it where it seems to float above and blend perfectly all at once.
The chorus arrives and builds up to the promise “Stay with me, all will be revealed” before we’re thrown back into the verse riff again. The drums feel solid, and the sound of the closed high hats works well with the bright guitar. As much as I have derided the ride cymbal (pun intended), in many songs it sounds great in the chorus and this is no exception.
Another quick verse and chorus before an instrumental bridge with a gorgeous guitar solo. I love how the bass groove slightly changes to keep things moving. The song has a breakdown instrumental verse, to bask in its simplified glory. The band actually released a guitar tab tutorial video to help people play the song, which is awesome when you think about it. Most bands wouldn’t do this kind of thing now, and they’d be afraid to put in the effort as the AI bots would rake it up for evil purposes.
A final chorus puts a cap on 3 minutes and 15 seconds, which I am so pleased exists in the world. If you’ve not immersed yourself in this band and you like some indie rock, I challenge you to listen without finding something you like.