The M's aggressively creative Future Women was one of the most
criminally overlooked accomplishments of 2006, a ray of light illuminating the
best elements of what has constituted pop music since the late '60s. That
unabashed love and understanding of pop hasn't subsided since, and Real
Close Ones
continues as a wholly worthwhile contribution to the genre without attempting
to develop it. But who cares? As The Apples In Stereo have shown,
throwback-inspired psychedelic pop (when done right) is as applicable now as
ever—and Real Close Ones both recalls pop of the past and feels absolutely
current. The angular "Get Your Shit Together," "Days In The Sun," or
"Impossible View" may cause mental wandering in the direction of old Beatles
albums, but these ambling melodies and laid-back hooks are the band's own. And
they mix in a little cool, fuzzy ambiance ("Papers"), a bit of throb and
feedback ("Ultraviolent Men"), and some soul infusion ("How Could You") for a
wonderfully spacious, energetic album that belongs right beside any of the
others that may have influenced The M's.