Sunny Day Real Estate

Sunny Day Real Estate | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 7, 1995)
• Original Release Date: November 7, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sub Pop
• ASIN: B0000035HB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,068 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Friday

2. Theo B

3. Red Elephant

4. 5/4

5. Waffle

6. 8

7. Iscarabaid

8. J'Nuh

9. Rodeo Jones

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Album of all-time....A cut above the rest..., March 25, 2004

By 

K. Vaughn "soma" (Stockton, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sunny Day Real Estate (Audio CD)

Although its influence would only truly be felt after the fact, Sunny Day Real Estate's second album was at the forefront of the so-called "emo-core" explosion during the second half of the decade. Standing in stark contrast to the classic rock-infused sounds of its Seattle grunge brethren, SDRE's music was at times able to get by on pure emotion alone.

The band's sound, although more melodic and structurally complex, still wasn't too far removed from the guitar-rock of alternative radio at the time. But it was singer Jeremy Enigk, with his empassioned delivery and high-pitched vocal yelps, who helped SDRE stand out from the pack. Enigk's singing only emphasized SDRE's flair for the dramatic, which shrouded the band in an aura of mystery that only heightened when this album was released. The band had already announced its breakup beforehand, Enigk had become a hardcore Christian and both Mendel and Goldsmith had signed on to Dave Grohl's burgeoning Foo Fighters project.

His religious predilections notwithstanding, Enigk's lyrics here show no obvious shout-outs to the man upstairs. That said, LP2 finds Sunny Day Real Estate increasing its mastery of the soft-to-loud dynamic as well as the ability to pull off seemingly unrelated section-to-section transitions.

A heavy dose of religion and the lure of fighting foos brought an early death to this superb Seattle foursome, though they were kind enough to leave us with nine timeless tracks before closing the coffin lid the first time.

Jeremy's solo album, "How it feels to be something on", and the "Rising Tide" are all great achievements for the band and its respective members, but for me did not quite hold the same depth or level of intensity as this record did.

I encourage any fan whether new or old to give this album more than one rotation in your CD Player. It took more than a year for my mind to fully recognize the beauty of this record. Even now at 25 (I bought it when I was 16) each track is still remarkable. I hope that this was helpful!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gem, A Rare Tropical Fish . . ., May 22, 2001

By 

Bob Hertenstein (Bob) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sunny Day Real Estate (Audio CD)

This is one of those albums that if you're trying to learn any of these songs, you have to listen to it over a hundred times . . . and even then, you're not sure who's playing what . . . The key to this inscruitability is that each member of this unprecedented band are almost always playing different thinkgs simultaneously, and the complexity of these pieces approaches fugal at times. This album has the emotional punch of romantic era choral music. Also, the vocals are indecipherable enough that they might as well be in a different language. And the melodies and harmonies interweave like the northern lights. "iscaribaid" remains one of my favorite all time tracks, or at least my all time favorite drum line, a fascinating excersize in avoiding the downbeat.

This music is very serious, and it does not reveal itself immediately to the ear. It is not transparently fun, you can't usually dance to it, its melodies and rhythms are elusive, a puzzle to be worked out by the aesthetic subconscious, but after a few listens the power and grace of this album begins to blossom in the ear of the listener. The only drawback I can think of is that some people find Jeremy Engnik's voice annoying. I can see why, but I think the man has a beautiful voice. Go figure.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Only My Opinion., October 25, 2002

By 

B. Alexander (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sunny Day Real Estate (Audio CD)

While listening to music, I always try to form vivid pictures of the sound and lyrical structure in my mind. The longer it takes to accomplish this, the higher the dynamic quality of the music to me. To understand what dynamic quality of music is, I offer the following (for a general understanding of dynamic quality, read "Lila" by Robert Pirsig):

With your typical rock music tripe that bombards MTV, VH-1, and our radio airwaves, the pattern of sound structure forms in my mind immediately upon the first listen, and then just sits there like the worthless piece of garbage that it really is. Hence, the music becomes intolerable to listen to more than once (most times, not even once).

Then there are the more rare, yet all too common rock bands, where the artists genuinely care about how their music and lyrics are put together, yet always seem to compromise their initially good ideas with overproduction, limitations on song length & instrumentation, and silly rhyming lyrics. Some bands that illustrate what I am speaking of are U2, (late) Dave Mathews, and Train. Their songs generally have a good backbone to start with, yet they tend to fall (or are possibly forced) into the typical rigid patterns of static music quality. In other words, their songs are often "catchy" at first listen, but quickly become "familiar sounding" to me. Evil record labels know that the masses of music sheep out there like "familiar sounding", and that music sheep automatically label "familiar sounding" music as good music. Hence, millions in record sales. However, to an indie-rocker such as myself, one who is always seeking a dynamic quality of sound, the music of U2, Dave Mathews, and Train is usually intolerable by the second or third listen.

A very small genre of rock music started to emerge in the late 80's and early 90's. Bands like Pavement, Jawbreaker, and Slint didn't worry about trying to sell a million albums to the masses. These bands had poignant lyrics, and intertwined their message with the innovative use of their instruments. Their music was not often "catchy" at first listen, because of the shear complexity of the sound structure they created. This is a GOOD thing.

LP2 is one of the most dynamic albums I've ever heard, and probably the best rock album of 1995. The sounds put forth by the different instruments seem to bounce violently off each other, gaining momentum each time the sound pattern repeats. This creates a build-up feel to each song, an almost nervous-like energy, which complements the deep emotion in Enigk's lyrics beautifully.

The atmosphere created by LP2 makes me feel like time it is extending on itself, something that has become harder and harder to feel as I grow older. You do not want this record to end, because while it is playing time seems to stand still. When this album is playing, I feel like I will never die.

Do you understand what I mean? Do you remember when you were a kid, when everything seemed to last forever? Remember when so many experiences were your first experiences?
THAT WAS DYNAMIC QUALITY!

The songs on LP2 feel fresh and new each time I hear them, even after dozens of listenings. This is a testament to the obvious time, energy, and raw emotion that SDRE has put into the music. THAT is the mark of a great rock album, and the highest achievement that any rock band can hope for. This record, along with a few precious others, are my religion. They are among the few things in this world from which I still derive a dynamic sense of quality. They are among the few things in this world which make me feel like I'm still alive.

The most dynamic rock albums I've heard are:
"Spiderland" - Slint
"Terror Twilight" - Pavement
"Perfect from Now On" & "Keep it like a Secret" - Built to Spill
"In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" - Neutral Milk Hotel
"OK Computer" & "The Bends" - Radiohead
"Downward is Heavenward" - Hum

"Nothing Feels Good" - The Promise Ring
"Orange Rhyming Dictionary" - Jets to Brazil