With their debut album, Manchester post-punk band Magazine are considered one of the most important starting points of the post-punk era "Real Life" spreads a gloomy Ice Age atmosphere with the outstanding keyboard work of Dave Formula and the distorted vocals of Howard Devoto. The album opens with "Definitive Gaze," a prelude that lures the listener straight to "My Tulpa," a deceptively upbeat song with a strong punk attitude. And part of the quality of this album lies in its somber, baroque sound, and "Shot By Both Sides" is the perfect example of that. This is an album for the brooding night owls who don't feel like doing anything with their lives, yet need a little cynicism to get through their lives.