Customer Reviews

Fire Theft

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've read many complaints about this CD and how it does not sound like "Diary" or various other SDRE recordings, but they all need to realize one thing...this isn't SDRE, this is The Fire Theft. A new band, with a new feeling towards music and life itself.

Uncle Mountain- a peaceful opener, i think they could have placed a more energetic song to open with, but hey, i'm not Jeremy Engnik. Cool guitar solo that sounds very dissonant over the chords being phrased by the rest of the instruments. Beautiful string synths. Great vocals and lyrics.

Wasting Time Segue- a peaceful interlude to get you more settled into the album. Beautiful piano

Oceans Apart- Incredible vocals and harmonies. Very reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel. Beautiful

Chain- the album's first single. Not my favorite song, but good nonetheless. A very cool 3/4 timing.

Backwards Blues- another instrumental. weak in my opinion. not to worry...

Summertime- probably the first INCREDIBLE song on the album. Very dissonant horns in the backround. Very image-inflicting lyrics. Very dynamic in an unlikley way. The song builds only to get quiet...if that makes any sense...

Houses- absolutley beautiful. Glockenspiels in the backround are very reminiscent of something off of Radiohead's Kid A, or the icelandic bands like Sigur Ros or Mum...

Waste Time- A straight-forward rock song, if there ever was one on this record. cool synth fills

Heaven- Jeremy on piano again. It's a bit of a dead spot on the album. still worth a listen

Rubber Bands- I picked up on a very STP-esque vibe from this song. Very cool. Some time-changes feel very unnatural, and it is another instrumental. A bit of a jam actually, but very cool.

It's Over- Jeremy seems to be giving off some anger on this song. Another great rocker.

Carry You- this is my favorite song on the entire record. The first pre-chorus and chorus give me goosebumps every single time i hear it. absolutley stunning

Sinatra- this is the most complex song on the record, clocking in at 15 minutes. The song starts off with a mellotron, giving off a Beatles vibe, then builds into the rest of the song, then breaks down into a jam, then into a 6 or 7 minute ethereal album outro that almost deserves a track of its own...

Great record
4 out of 5

O.K. There have been some mixed reviews of this album. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and so it shows. I first heard "Diary" from Sunny Day Real Estate in 1994 when I was 16. Of course it changed my musical taste from then on. When "LP2" was released, it was not the most appealing album. It felt unfocused and scattered. After constant listens over the years, it is now my favorite album of all time. When the band regrouped in 1998 and released "How it Feels to be Something On" I felt betrayed. Where had all of the angst driven guitars and vocals gone? Their sound had taken on a new meaning and new direction and obviously, not everyone was on board. Again, after constant listens and experiencing the band live twice on that tour, I came to love every song and appreciate the beauty beneath.

Two years later, the band left Sub Pop, signs to Time Bomb and releases "The Rising Tide". Again, upon first listen, I was very dissapointed. What were they thinking? I didn't understand the new direction. I argued with my good friend about it endlessly. I listened to the album almost everyday for at least two months. Suddenly, I began singing along with every word that passed and even picked up my acoustic and began playing along. I loved it. Less than a year later, the band gets dropped from Time Bomb and decides to call it quits for the last time. Then after waiting for over a year, I hear that the band is regrouping without Dan and calling themselves "The Fire Theft". I was eager and curious to hear the new material. I purchased the the demos off of Ebay and I was pretty impressed. I couldn't get past "Chain", which was the first song on the CD. Jeremy's voice never tires even after nine years.

The point of all of this is that as time passes, music changes, people grow older and priorities take a different direction. What's funny is that some reviewers still refer to them as "Emo". It's sad how loosley that term is thrown around lately. Every legitimate "Emo" band has either broken up or changed their sound so significantly as not to be lumped in with all of these new bands that are just jumping on a band wagon that left almost ten years ago and are looking for the same respect as bands that actually defined a sound and pushed it forward. Sorry, it didn't take Carson Daly and MTV2 to tell me that it's cool to be "Emo". Dashboard Confessional, The Used, Vendetta Red, Taking Back Sunday, Count the Stars, New Found Glory, Finch, etc....Sorry, I don't buy your music. I laugh at most and think, "Your a little Late aren't you?" Gone are the days of Braid, the Promise Ring, Joan of Arc, Embrace, Rites of Spring, Jawbox, Christie Front Drive, Drive Like Jehu, and even Sunny Day Real Estate.

This album is perfect in it's way. Did anyone ever stop to think that maybe they are musically spent? Trying a new sound or taking bold leaps against the grain is challenging enough. This album is lush and simple, yet beautiful and haunting at the same time. But I suppose you can either go with the flow or jump off and find another bus to ride. Of course, this is just my opinion and it is neither right nor wrong. I think it's a good step for them. They are doing what makes them happy, and in the end, that's what counts.

I think the 62 reviews already written have pretty much covered it. This album blew me away. I expected something I would enjoy, but had no idea how amazing this album was going to be.

I too cannot believe this album didn't completely explode. Bravo!

Seriously, this album is really, really good.

This CD is amazing. I cannot believe it has not completely exploded, a fact that alone makes it that much more treasured in my collection. Jeremy Enigk has obviously perfected his voice in the years since breaking SDRE down into a trio(I'm a big Sunny Day fan as well, though). The opening chords of "Uncle Mountain" set the mood for the entire album, and you sit in eager anticipation for the cd to explode with emotion and passion, which it does track after track. To accompany some of the most amazing lyrics ever layed down are the perfect screaming, finger picking chords of zen-like guitar mastery. If you want a taste of what The Fire Theft has to offer, check out "Summertime", "Uncle Mountain", and "Heaven". However, be advised, the CD is most enjoyable when listened to front to back. It's the perfect ride in its entirety.

This might be one of the best albums I have heard in years. I was a little let down by the last SDRE album and was scared to actually hear what was in store for the guys, but this has revived all my faith in them as a band. After owning the album for a little more then a year I can say it stands the test of time. It only gets better for me after every listen. They do things with this album that SDRE never did. One major new factor is the blazing guitar solo's, the orchestration (real orchestra, not syths), and the keyboards. This might turn some people away but give it a chance and you will be impressed. Don't buy this album expecting a 5th SDRE album, its not the same band, hence the name change. I think all the bad reviews came from people that don't like change. I am really excited to hear what these guys will grace us with next. And to top it all off, they are amazing live.

Uncle Mountain has a very mellow intro and just makes you smile, moves into a hard rocking drum pounding mid section, then falls into one of the best solo's I have heard in my entire life. Oceans Apart is just an amazing song that gives you euphoria. It also has a really cool mellow solo towards the end. Chain is a good tune, but one of the less eventful on the album. Summertime/Houses/Waste Time are all very excellent songs that have a very classic rock vibe to them. Heaven is one of the best on the album. The lyrics are excellent and the music is solid as petrified BM. Rubber Bands is could have been an Allman's Brothers tune. It's just a very rocking instrumental that makes you want to move with the music. It's Over is the one song that has some similar vibe to the old SDRE sound. It is an amazing tune as well, and should please any old fan of the guys. Carry you could also be similar to SDRE. The final song, Sinatra, is an 8 min. epic rock track. I really can't put into words how awesome this song really is. You also get an extra bonus track about 20 sec. after Sinatra.

Over all this is an album that most people should enjoy if they have an open mind towards music.

Being a fan of both, and both are so very different, I was a bit hesitant about Fire Theft. It just doesn't seem right. If not SDRE, then only solo work seems to fit Enigk's gravely vocals. But I listened, and unlike most of the reviews listed here, I wasn't immediately saddened that Fire Theft is not SDRE. I knew there was no way it could be from the beginning. What sticks out more in my head is Enigk's solo work, but I wasn't thinking Fire Theft would sound like that either.

Turns out Fire Theft is its own separate entity in the music world. And that's a good thing.

Yes, this is a "rock" CD, but it's really way much more than that. No, it's not "emo" but mostly because there are too many movements in the music. The one element that holds this CD together is Enigk's vocals, which are extremely unique, almost to the point where if you could imagine what his speaking voice sounds like, then you would never, ever, in a million years think he could actually sing. But he can. And his vocals are perfect for the music movements that create each and every song on Fire Theft's release. They are not overpowered by the strong drums and guitars, in fact, they match every instrument's loudness each and every time. And the beauty of it is that Enigk's vocals can be quiet and soothing too.

So if you're looking for the new SDRE, you're not going to get it here. If you liked Enigk's solo work, you will at least appreciate his singing abilities more than anyone else. I think Fire Theft is a good combination of rock and vocals with interesting musical progressions.

basically i'm in awe. the question of whether or not this lives up to sunny day is moot. this is hands down the best album of the year, and maybe one of the best of the decade so far. high praise? yep. with every listen it opens up more. like paul thomas anderson's films, jeremy and the boys have a way of making intelligent art that the public at large probably finds difficult and indulgent, but speaks to me at exactly the right times in my life. it's beautiful, it's unique, it rocks. this is the sound of someone facing adulthood, love, loss, responsibility, and faith. yeah, it's serious grown up life stuff, handled with precision, experimentation and yearning. lyrics, music, passion, production, it all comes together here. not really understanding where the negative reviews and comparisons to yes and elo are coming from, this is more a 'houses of the holy' for our generation, but i'm not going to do anymore comparing of this record or the fire theft to any other band. they have managed to do something which is all too rare in today's musical climate; they've come up with a sound and made a record that's completetly compelling and original. be open to it, it's an incredible cd, it'll reward you again and again. thank you jeremy, william, and nate, you've given me a record to get me through, i look forward to many more.

The talent is evident, but none of the songs demand to be heard like before. And since I got into SDRE very recently, I can confidently say that nostalgia does not affect my judgement here. The Fire Theft sounds more like craftsmanship than artistry. I get the same magic that I did from How It Feels (my favorite album of theirs), but it only lasts for a section of a song here and there. It seems as though the source of their inspiration has moved away from what moves me. And what moves me no longer moves them.

It's almost like running into an old girlfriend and finding out that you have nothing in common any more. She's forgotten all the things you like and is into things that you don't think are very interesting. In both cases, though, we at least have the memories to fall back on. And in the case of SDRE/Fire Theft, we even have the old albums we can pop in the player any time. If this album disappoints you as it did me, do not lament. Instead, listen to the earlier stuff again and celebrate the fact that those albums were made in the first place and are still in print.

In their continuing quest to evolve, I think they've made a few missteps, like the minute-long outro that takes the fire right out of the otherwise dark and propulsive "Carry You." Experimentally entertaining, yes, but I wish they had cut the last section into a separate segue track. I think that section stands better on its own as a separate piece and would be all the more interesting for its featured placement.

The self-titled album is certainly a respectable artistic achievement. They haven't gone overboard into adult contemporary or something. They haven't sold out to the synth like so many bands tragically did in the 80s. And while the strings are a bit much, they never feel like an attempt to artificially inflate the appeal of a song. It's just workmanlike by comparison. Passion for making music is still strong, but the often harrowing sonic therapy of their earlier work has apparently been concluded to Enigk's satisfaction. The nearly schizophrenic highs and lows and unique sound that made them a magnetic listen have solved with the pill of time, and what's left is sturdy, pleasant, and not especially memorable.

there will be two reviews for this album, as you have already seen. reviews from people who hate prog rock, and reviews from people who like it. i associate myself with the latter, first off, because say what you want about prog rock, it has had a lasting impression no one can ignore on today's music. secondly, the most recent embodyment of what some people might call prog, the fire theft, is full of more sincerity and rock muscle than 95% of the bands releasing music today.

SDRE's ride to cult success was up and down (more like on and off), and what could be more logical than to clean the slate and go off in another direction. clearly the fire theft has done this to perfection.

"oceans apart", "heaven", "its over" are testaments to a band that can take you on a journey full of emotions and song structures. i couldn't disagree more with people who say this album has poor lyrics. lyrics don't have to be cryptic to be deep and poignant. enigk captures those thoughts perfect in a very concise album. i think this album is the polar opposite of what these indie rock diehards suggest it is. partially, because they can't look beyond their braid records from the 90s. emo rock from that era is gone, and it was even more shortlived than the prog revolution of the 70s, everyone has to move on.

The Fire Theft

The Fire Theft; 2003

Rykodisc

My Rating: 83/100

You can't really blame the Sunny Day Part Deux trio of Enigk/Hoerner/Goldsmith for splitting after THE RISING TIDE. While that album had a few brilliant moments, overall it was a mess of genre-synthesis gone bad. Kudos for trying, but the band just couldn't find a happy medium between their emo roots and their prog leanings. The great news is that the Sunny Day Part Tre trio of Enigk/Mendel/Goldsmith (aka The Fire Theft) found an excellent way ahead on their 2003 debut, abandoning emo all together and creating a sublime piece of prog majesty. Once heard in the right context ("Chain", "Heaven"), Enigk's voice is a no-brainer for prog, nuzzling itself into the happy medium between Peter Gabriel and Geddy Lee. The abandonment of punk tempos hasn't left the music boring either, as the band's instrumental chops are still firmly intact. But it's the songs that really stand out for The Fire Theft. From the aggressive and soaring "Chain" to the gorgeous, piano-based "Summertime," it's exceptionally rewarding to see a group of musicians with so much water under the bridge find so many new ways forward. Sunny Day Real Estate reunions aside, I find myself in the small camp of those thirsting for a follow-up from The Fire Theft.

Cohesion (5/5)

Concept (4/5)

Consequence (4.5/5)

Consistency (4.5/5)

Tracks:

1. Uncle Mountain (3.5/5)

2. Waste Time Segue

3. Oceans Apart (4/5)

4. Chain (5/5)

5. Backward Blues

6. Summertime (5/5)

7. Houses (5/5)

8. Waste Time (5/5)

9. Heaven (5/5)

10. Rubber Bands (4/5)

11. It's Over (5/5)

12. Carry You (5/5)

13. Sinatra (4/5)