Search - Sunny Day Real Estate :: The Rising Tide

Ever heard of Indie-Prog? ****

Janson Kemp | Dallas, TX USA | 04/07/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These underground bands have some rabid fans. Words like "Sell-out" and "Poseur" get used a little too often; as though the plebians shouting the profanities were being complimented by the accusations. No matter. Truth is I CAN hear why many fans would be disappointed with Sunny Day Real Estates last two albums. "How it Feels to Be Something On" sounds worlds apart from the basement recording "Diary." And "Rising Tide" deepens the gap. But something critics and fans will NEVER understand is that you can like two things. Punk and progressive rock are mortal enemies, polar opposites, like water and oil... or so we've been told. Try this - take a CD, put it into your player, listen to it, and ask yourself this question, "Do I like this?" Internet critics have taught people to ask "Am I supposed to like this?" or "Is this an acceptable genre" or even, heaven forbid, "is it COOL to like this?" Now try this: if you answered "Yes" to "do I like this?", your answer to "is this cool?" should also be yes. Feel weird? You'll get used to it.



Now back to the record. I love (absolutely love) both sides of the "heads-tails" coin that is SDRE's career. "Diary" is simply one of the great albums of the 90's and one of the greatest debuts in alternative music history, if not rock history. "How it Feels to Be Something On" was and is a masterpiece, both on paper and in reality. Most fans can accept this. But "Rising Tide" being a good record? "But, it meshes indie and prog! Those are polar opposites on the cool spetrum!" The music however, speaks for itself. The hat-trick worked. Jeremy Enigk emerges with the best vocals of his career, and this indie band melds punk concpets ("Snibe") that sound like Rush ("Television," "Rising Tide"). Recreating the wheel's not a bad way for the 90's best indie band to call it a day.



Overall: 8 out of 10."

Beautiful, incredible, spiritual, engrossing, uplifting

David Smith | 01/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i wouldn't believe a negative word you hear about this album. i'm a sdre fan and i enjoy their albums as well, but this is the first one i heard and it's captivated me from the first listens. i've listened to it a million times and it never fails to leave me uplifted - it's like a breath of fresh air.. but it rocks! the band is just really amazing here.. i would go so far as to say it's sdre at their VERY BEST. this is their PEAK. some people claim it's too prog-ish, and yes, it does bear a resemblance to rush due to the high vocals and prominent bass, but who cares? the songs are amazing. it's also interesting to see how their sound evolved through their different albums to end up here."

A note-worthy album

David Smith | 06/21/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The newest effort by SDRE is by far not the best. But it is still beautiful in every way as every other release of their's. The album starts of with a bang with 'Killed by an Angel' and slows down a bit. Then 'Snibe' song #5 picks up with the normal SDRE effect. Followed by 'The Ocean'. It is tied with 'Faces in Disguise' as the two which are my favorites. Then the album ends with the title track, a good song to end an album. It leaves you wanting more. So you end up listening to the entire thing over again. Enigk's lyrics are still emotional and poetic as always, and end up singing or humming along. Goldsmith's drumming is magnificent as it is in the others. And Hoerner's guitaring leaves you unaware that of absence of Enigk's guitar since he plays the bass on this glorious release. All in all it is a great album, but it is a close forth to the other spectacular albums released by this unique and talented band. There have been only a few cds that I have bought on the day they were released and this is one I am glad I did."