How Does It Feel To Be Someone - Sunny Day Real Estate > Reviews > The most unique of SDRE's output

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	SDRE took new steps to a different style
Disadvantages:	its no Diary

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

First to clarify, this is actually entitled "How Does It Feel to Be Something On".

Anyway!

This doesn't happen very often. A band I like put out it's *third* album with this LP. Bands I like normally they disappear after one or two, or they haven't even got that far yet.

If for some reason you haven't heard Sunny Day Real Estate then maybe the fact that a couple of their members went off to join the Foo Fighters will help. On their first two albums, SDRE had a definite Seattle sound about them. Lots of heavy guitars muddled up with some slower bits and Jeremy Enigk's slightly whiny vocals. But things have changed, which is fortunate, as a band can't stay the same for 3 albums straight, not if they want to have an credibility at all. For now, instead of taking so much influence from Nirvana et al, SDRE have gone more retro, and for a reference point I would suggest the Beatles with emo guitars. They even have a Doors-y organ type thing on one song.

Yes, the band matured. So often that would be sentence you wouldn't want to read, bands that mature can completely lose it. Luckily SDRE's maturation saw them produce 10 songs of such quality music that I would pin down as complex, slightly acoustic sounding, slow indie rock with emo overtones. Their sound developed and on this LP they are making songs that they probably wouldn't have considered before. Enigk is more versatile vocally, reaching some pretty high notes, then at times being more drifty, or more assertive. Certain moments he does extremely plausible Lennon impressions, just check out the beautiful "Two Promises", or "100 Million". They have some very relaxing songs on here, title track "How Does It Feel To Be Something On" being a case in point, with Enigk's vocals coming across very lazily and melancholic.

In the vein of their second album (the one with the pink cover), SDRE have chosen to remain pretty anonymous again. No sign of the band name on the cover. But if you see this, it's got a jaggedy red sun (I presume) on the front. Try it, maybe you'll like it.

I should note that SDRE went on to produce one more LP after this (the Rising Tide), but unfortunately that record has very little to offer, regressing into uninspiring radio rock and losing all the character that this band had on its first 3 efforts.

tracklist:

1. Pillars
2. Roses in Water
3. Every Shining Time You Arrive
4. Two Promises
5. 100 Million
6. How It Feels to Be Something On
7. Prophet
8. Shark's Own Private F**k
9. Guitar and Video Games
10. Days Were Golden