Sunny Day Real Estate – Diary

When I was four years old, the majority of music in my life was from old Bollywood movies. I honestly believe that I was oblivious to the concept of rock at that time, let alone the sub-genres of grunge that was waning and the conception of ‘emo’ that was occurring that year. So, now’s as good a time as any to catch up on Sunny Day Real Estate’s highly influential debut, Diary.

Written and released all of 15 years ago, the album is being reissued with two bonus tracks to coincide with the band’s reunion after break ups involving (amongst other reasons) a discovery of God and William Goldsmith and Nate Mendel’s joining of the Foo Fighters.

Firstly though, the subject of ‘emo’. As the gospel of Wikipedia states, SDRE were one of the pioneers of the 90s’ reinvention of a style of music characterised by hardcore sounds and deeply confessional lyrics. You can consider it like Byron gone punk.

But I digress- Diary is the album at hand and it’s not hard to comprehend the influence it has even now.

The first two tracks of ‘Seven’ and ‘In Circles’ immediately assault your ears, but in a good way. The bass, drums and guitar pound away riffs and melodies like your run-of-the-mill rock, but what makes them take a hold of your senses is the painful and unadulterated quality of Jeremy Enigk’s voice. There’s a hint of grunge in it but it’s the angst behind his vocals that has made a generation of bands imitate SDRE to varying degrees of success, all without matching his almost tangible emotion.

Like any good album though, there’s plenty of variation spread within and between tracks. ‘Pheurton Skeurto’ may be the weakest track on the album, but the piano and more delicate feel of the vocals are a symbol of the diversity shown throughout the album. For examples, one need look no farther than ‘The Blankets Were The Stairs’ and ‘Grendel’. The former cuts loose on the vocals with a more Smashing Pumpkins-esque sound from the instruments shifting between verse and chorus. ‘Grendel’ develops far beyond any other track on the album. Almost like a soundtrack to an impending apocalypse, a haunting mix of soft tones and huge breakdowns.

Diary wasn’t hugely experimental or a departure from the music of the early ’90s, and it does take a few listens through to get into, but the praise it has received is well deserved. Not because the album is perfect, but rather the timing of its release. Alongside Weezer’s Blue Album, it was a reinvention of a subgenre and even now Diary sounds distinctive, despite inspiring legions of imitators.