speed of dark

Sunny Day Real Estate was formed in 1993 from components of other bands in Seattle, Washington. At a time when the music industry was looking towards the dreary Northwest for grunge and alternative groups, Sunny Day seemed to fit the bill. Their melodic guitars, unintelligible lyrics, and tendency to name songs with numbers (see songs "8", "5/4", "47"...you get the idea) somehow missed the big fame wave that Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and others were riding, but the band had their own following.

The original band consisted of Nate Mendel on bass, drummer William Goldsmith, and guitarist/singer Dan Hoerner, but the addition of Jeremy Enigk as the lead singer and guitarist sealed the band. The band released two 7-inch records, Flatland Spider (before Enigk) and Thief, Steal Me a Peach (after Enigk). In 1994, SDRE released Diary on the Sub Pop label, a somber but hard-rocking collection of songs that could be considered emo hard-rock. Alt-gramma was actually the person in our household to discover and bring SDRE into the rotation. But I digress. "Seven" was the terrific breakout single and did garner the band some recognition and airplay, but "In Circles" is also very well-known and an excellent song.

After an extended tour to support Diary, the band regrouped to record their next album. However, due to a collection of issues, one of which was lead singer Enigk's becoming a born-again Christian, the band broke up in 1995. At the end of 1995, Sub Pop released the self-titled album that the band had been working on prior to the break-up, also known as the Pink Album, so named for its horribly bright, Pepto-Bismol pink cover.

After the breakup, Nate Mendel and William Goldsmith joined the fledgling Foo Fighters, and Mendel remains their bass player today. Jeremy Enigk embarked on a solo career, and Dan Hoerner worked behind the scenes on other artists' music. But in 1997, the band reunited (without Mendel) and recorded How it Feels to be Something On. The band went on tour in support of the album, and Sub Pop recorded a DVD and disc of live performances, simply titled Live in 1999. However, the band left Sub Pop and signed with BMG affiliate Time Bomb. The excellent album The Rising Tide was released in 2000, which was a different direction for the band - a mellower, softer sound with beautiful backing strings and keyboards. Unfortunately, the label folded before the band could go on tour in support of the album, and they broke up again.

In 2003, Mendel, Enigk, and Goldsmith reunited as The Fire Theft, and released a self-titled album, which culminates in a nearly fifteen-minute operatic show ender, "Sinatra". I used to have this album, and I cannot find it anywhere. Very irritating.

Jeremy Enigk continues his solo career to this day, and released World Waits in 2006, and embarked on a tour in support of this album. I haven't heard much of this album, but what I've heard of it is more folky than emo hard-rock.

What a long, strange trip it's been! If you haven't been indoctrinated by Sunny Day Real Estate, have a listen and then go pick up their albums. Who knows - maybe they'll reunite again!

from 1994's Diary:
sunny day real estate: in circles
sunny day real estate: song about an angel

from 1995's Pink Album (LP2):

sunny day real estate: j'nuh
sunny day real estate: red elephant

from 1999's Live:

sunny day real estate: pillars [live]

from 2000's The Rising Tide:

sunny day real estate: tearing in my heart
sunny day real estate: the rising tide

from 2003's The Fire Theft:

the fire theft: uncle mountain

SDRE unofficial website | jeremy enigk myspace | buy SDRE and Jeremy Enigk albums

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