The press release call Norwegian quintet Real Ones a “genuine band”, referring to the fact that they’ve been playing together since their youth. That probably don’t make them more genuine than other bands – think I’d rather call them really fortunate – but the unusual continuity has no doubt had a very positive effect on them as a band. Something witnessed in the many mentions of their abilities as a live band.

On record it’s no different. This is a tightly knitted crew with 12 years under their belt creating free-flowing, organic folk-rock songs twisted by bits of sitar psychedelia, often to stunning effect (‘The Neighbourhood’), and on this third album they even throw a little Beck ‘Sexx Laws’ moment into the melting-pot with ‘Outlaw’. The chorus is borderline rip-off (perhaps intentionally given the coincidence between the titles?), but it can be forgiven as you flip through the rest of ‘All For The Neighbourhood’.

Just listen to banjo dominated album opener ‘Every Dog Has Its Day’ which, aside from the reassuring statement “Good things happen to good people / No, I say every dog has its day”, raise their fingers at their compatriots (and others?) saying “Of all the things we could be doing / Now that there’s nothing we lack / All we care about is that America loves us back”.

Elsewhere country-Beatles-ballad ‘Tomorrow’ offer words of comfort to those who don’t really fit in society (“You’ll make it doing it your way”), while almost funky ‘Six In The Morning’ lifts the second half of the album, taking us where every man has been more than once in life: Roaming the streets drunk, horny and frustratingly alone after a long night of strikeouts with the fairer sex.

In quite a few reviews ‘All For The Neighbourhood’ has been described as one for the summer. It does fit lighter times perfectly, but Real Ones can most certainly bring joy anytime of year.

Genre: Rock/Folk
Who: Real Ones
Title: All For The Neighbourhood
Label: Warner Music
Year: 2008
Country: Norway
Language: English
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Recommended tracks:
Every Dog Has Its Day – The Neighbourhood – Lonesome Town – Tomorrow – Six In The Morning