Sunny Day Real Estate: an appreciation

I owe my exposure to this band to my friend Jeff Root. Jeff was one of a couple fellas I hung out with while working as a book seller at the Top of the Hill Borders. At the time, I was probably preoccupied with Radiohead or in the early stages of what I call my "Jazz Period," during which I listened to virtually nothing but classic Blue Note, Riverside, Prestige and Atlantic records by the masters. This lasted at least five years (more on that some other time).

My interest in indie music was waning... I was burned out on the post-grunge drool (Nirvana's drippings) on the radio and wanted escape. It was as if rock really was about to die.

Root was getting way into Sunny Day and gave me a couple tapes (yup, they still existed) of the band. Can't say I was immediately smitten. Singer Jeremy Enigk's voice can be an acquired taste. But the band was intense, a blend of the guitar rock of the time but with added touches of post-punk hardcore and prog. I liked what I heard. Check out the video for the band's first single below.



Though these guys are credited with (or blamed for) the whole Emo movement, they were and still are a remarkable band. Prompted by the band's reunion (they play the Trocadero. on Oct. 1, I queued up their collected works: the landmark Diary and LP2, which were re-released about a week ago by Sub Pop, and What It Means to be Something On and The Rising Tide. I've been listening to virtually nothing but all week. I find I still favor the much more aggressive Diary and LP2, but I really like the way Enigk's voice developed on What it Means....

All four albums hold up really well, and still sound ahead of their time. They blended a furious two-guitar attack with melodic bass playing and whip-tight drumming. The band avoided hooks like they avoided California (inexplicably, the band had a thing against the Sunshine State and refused to play there for much of its career). Instead they crafted songs that were compelling because of their arrangements. They weren't the first band to use the quiet/loud formula, but they could change tempo and tone like few other bands.

There's not a band that sounds like them. Even as they mellowed out after the first reunion (How it Feels... and Rising Tide), they were exciting. None of the dreck people call Emo sounds like the band either. Sure, Enigk's high-pitch whining has been imitated, but the band's music approach has not been touched by anyone I've heard. They never "caught on" in a really big way. Certainly never like the other Seattle bands that went main street just a few years earlier.

If the group decides to hit the studio again, I'm sure the results would be well worth hearing. These guys just don't get the credit they deserve. They were definitely one of the absolute best bands of the 90s.

Tickets for the band's Philly Show are available on Stub Hub for $44 and up, still. My guess is the price will go up next week. No matter what, the show is sure to be worth the money. There are not many bands like these guys around any more.