at a glance...

Hometown: Seattle, WA
First Recordings: 1992

Personnel:
Jeremy Enigk -vocals, guitars
Dan Hoerner -guitars, vocals
William Goldsmith -drums
Joe Skyward -bass

Related artists:
Foo Fighters, Poor Ol Lu, Tears for the King, Thirty Ought Six

Notes:
In 1993 Sunny Day signed with SubPop and released the critically acclaimed Diary. The band was already Seattle's best kept secret at that point, but that secret wouldn't last much longer. Scores of people became entranced with Jeremy Enigk's high, boyish voice and ambiguous lyrics, as well as the dramatic tension and release created by the rhythm section of Goldsmith, Nate Mendel and Hoerner. Together they made highly charged and emotional music, a formula that would later help define "emo-rock." Unfortunately, just as their anxiously awaited second record LP2 was to come out, for reasons still entirely unknown, the band decided to break up. Goldsmith and Mendel went on to join the Foo Fighters while Jeremy Enigk put out one of the most starkly beautiful albums of 1996, Return of the Frog Queen. A year later the band decided to put aside their differences and release How It Feels To Be Something On, their most successful album to date. Following its incredible reception, the band decided to give their fans a souvenir of the "How It Feels..." tour, Sunny Day Real Estate Live.

You can only hope that watching any artist you like will be an inspiring and rewarding experience. And if you've ever caught them live this is about as close to that experience you can get. Sunny Day recorded this album on the last leg of the tour for How It Feels To Be Something On and this album proves that Sunny Day Real Estate are an excellent live band. Live has some of your favorites off of Diary like "Song about an Angel" and "In Circles" as well as "J'nuh," and "Rodeo Jones" from LP2. From SDRE's brooding opening to "Pillars" on Live you're immediately drawn in. The live sound on this album probably surpasses any other I've heard and the band are in top form here. SDRE are known for being a ridiculously tight band musically and they will not disappoint you.

I must admit that minus some studio instruments and backing harmonies the songs on Live sound pretty much the same as they do on their respective records. But to me it's the collection of songs on this record that make it a must buy. This is not a "live" album in the same respect as Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains the Same or Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive. There really isn't much of a level of surprise or extended virtuosic showmanship that make those albums such classics. But that's okay with me, because truthfully that's never been what Sunny Day were about. They're not masterful musicians and you can see that's not where their focus lies - it lies in their ability to create something unique and passionate, which is what their audience has always loved and responded to. Sunny Day's Live will remind you why you've loved them for so long.

If you like Sunny Day Real Estate, check out:
Sunny Day Real Estate How It Feels To Be Something On
Sunny Day Real Estate The Rising Tide
Jeremy Enigk Return of the Frog Queen
Michael You Must Be this Tall
The Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape

-- Carey Head