Having sold over a quarter of a million copies worldwide and widely hailed as the impetus for the so-called Second Wave of emo, Sunny Day Real Estate’s inaugural full-length effort still stands as their most cogent and convincing release.  Inspired by the strength of the material, the band may have been exhausted from constant touring at the time of recording, but nonetheless sound tight and focused as they churn through the songs that would later become classics and staples of their live set. 

Formed in 1992 in America’s Northwest, the heartland of grunge, Sunny Day’s exuberance and heartfelt lyrical motifs provided a welcome counter to the jaded cynicism of their Seattle contemporaries.  Always a band of stark duality, SDRE’s verses often have a yearning, near-mournful quality, but when it comes time for the chorus they consistently fire on all cylinders.  The distortion pedals take over, the pop-punk harmonies kick in and words that were understated sentiments just moments ago swell to the fore in a hail of carefully controlled bombast.  The quartet are also unafraid to inject a measure of tenderness into the proceedings.  It’s difficult to imagine some of the more macho flannel-clad Seattleites of the time entitling one of their ditties Song About an Angel, or crooning ‘meet me there, in the blue/where words are not but feelings remain’, but somehow it all works perfectly.  And a diary is, after all, the place where you record your innermost feelings without fear of judgement or ridicule. 

This reissue of Sunny Day’s 1994 debut LP neatly coincides with their impending tour of Oz, the band’s first.  Remastered and featuring two bonus tracks culled from their 1993 7-inch Thief, Steal Me a Peach, the release is the perfect excuse for those unfamiliar with Sunny Day Real Estate to acquaint themselves with this important and influential record.  Longtime fans of the band won’t be disappointed either.  While it’s debatable whether the remastered versions sound that much different from the originals, the well-chosen bonus tracks are a nice touch, the album features extensive liner notes penned by each of the four members and the songs themselves are, as mentioned, pretty damn close to flawless. 

For those turned off by the pejorative connotations of the ‘emo’ tag, don’t be!  There’s absolutely nothing overwrought or juvenile about SDRE’s timeless, heart-on-the-sleeve stylings.  Highly recommended.