Tuesday 11 October 2016

Real Numbers - Wordless Wonder

You remember Real Numbers. In the US DIY garage rock scene which peaked around 5 years ago they were pretty much the only band doffing their caps to the Television Personalities. Yeah, most of those Brooklyn bands back then were paying the TVPs their dues, but the Real Numbers were in a different world.

A world of raw minimalism, Messthetics compilations, crash pop and chaos. I loved them and then forgot about them because they stopped making records and other things caught my eye. That's pop music.

What wasn't meant to happen is that Real Numbers are back and they've made their best record. Yes, score-keepers, better than the Tear It In Two/Pinckney St single.

Wordless Wonder isn't that different from Real Numbers' back catalogue, but it's that much better. There's hook-laden powerpop, chugging bass and new wave melodic smarts. There's slapdash pop-art pop. And there's a statement of intent in the first song, Frank Infatuation.

This is surely a celebration of the short-lived label that was home to the 14 Iced Bears and The McTells. The real influence - there's no escaping this, possibly because of the singer's adolescent adenoidal whine - is the Television Personalities.

How else do you explain a song called This Happy Sadness (surely a nod to the TVPs' This Angry Silence)? And Public Domain sounds like a close relative of the TVPs' King and Country.

I'm not complaining. The TVPs are one of my favourite ever bands. And Wordless Wonder has enough invention, vitality and immediate pop to be one of my favourite albums of 2016.


5 comments:

  1. Many thanks Ben for alerting me to the fact that this band is still in business. I saw them (well, two thirds of them with Sean from City Yelps filling in on drums) play in London years back, and they were absolutely great.

    I also remember vervently wishing that I had their self-titled record as mp3s so that I could listen to it whilst walking around... so the discover it's now on their Bandcamp as 'name your price' is a nice bonus too. : )

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    1. They played in London?! I'm the last to know. I hope they return. Their closest U.K. relatives are City Yelps. Now that would be a great gig.

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  2. Yeah, it was back in 2011/2012-ish, at Power Lunches (the first time I ever went there actually) - I think The Hipshakes played too if I remember correctly. Not very busy I seem to recall, so maybe it was a short notice gig, or the promotion went askew or something... Real Numbers were great though. : )

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  3. it was real #'s, hipshakes and crawling age at power lunches. old pics right here: https://www.facebook.com/real.nums/photos/?tab=album&album_id=279357202176710

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    1. Thanks for these, Eli. Gutted I missed the gig. I live about a mile away from the venue. Hope I get to see them sometime.

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