[12.03] For many people I know, Sunny Day Real Estate was "indie rock" in the early mid-'90s. Diary and the pink album (LP2) were classics that would not be replaced until Radiohead made The Bends. And, like everyone else who listened to them, I was devastated when they broke up. However, Jeremy Enigk's solo release, perhaps the most underrated indie CD of all time, made my day. Of course, SDRE's reunion and subsequent release of How It Feels to Be Something On made my decade. I saw them play their first SF show around that time and I will never forget it. There was so much passion on one stage, so much energy in one building; from both the band and crowd. These are my fondest thoughts of one of emo's forefathers.

With the release of The Rising Tide, however, my interest was almost, but not entirely, lost. The new direction was not what I wanted to hear, at the time. Prog rock, in my mind, was never cool so why was my favorite band doing it? In retrospect, after giving the CD a proper chance, I think that the album was a perfect graduation from the emo scene. SDRE was always light years ahead of any of their contemporaries anyway. This album cut the chord, so to speak, and in doing so, it filtered out the true fans...or so I thought.

After their most recent breakup and reformation (sans founding member Dan Hoerner) as The Fire Theft, there are still "fans" who are upset that SDRE is not making another album that sounds like Diary. Others who criticize The Fire Theft's debut seem to be let down that their output is not more innovative. I guess, in a way, the lofty expectations are justified. After all, Enigk's writing is among the best in popular music, and the group, even without Hoerner, is loaded with talent. However, I think that if the album is given a proper chance, fans would see that The Fire Theft is truly an extension of SDRE, full of the same passion and mood. It will become apparent that the differences in sound are a natural progression.

Lyrically, Enigk is as strong and poetic and emotional as ever. He's always been good at that wordsmithing thing. Since the start, I have always looked forward to reading his lyrics in much the same way that I look forward to reading a good short story that I can read over and over again.

Musically, there are moments when the arrangements sound as if Return of the Frog Queen and The Rising Tide intersect. The way the orchestration blends with the rock is lovely and mood altering. At other times ventures into a sound that has not been visited since sometime in the 1970s by groups like Yes with their keyboard ladened epics. They also have a few instrumental segues here and there.

The first truly brilliant track appears in the waltz-like "Summertime," where Enigk sings, "I'll be home in the landscape of a new century / crazy millions have all long since passed their way to the stars." In the dramatic "Carry You" he sings, "Carry you in my breath / I'm going nowhere waiting for the future to begin / every single step is just another reason to forget who I've become / carry you with all my regret / how can you change your mind after all the dreams that we once shared / when will I disappear into the days design / ever being always seeing never dying / like a random cloud that passes the sky / just moving on."

Having seen The Fire Theft live on two separate occasions now might have influenced my extremely positive opinion of the album. Enigk has a presence that rivals big stars like Thom Yorke and the band as a whole play like a group who truly feels the music they create. I sense a semblance of the same energy on Fire Theft. It is full of great moments that comprise a worthwhile whole. Standout tracks include "Heaven," "Summertime," "Carry You" and "Sinatra." It may take some time, but this music will grow on you if you let yourself be overtaken. —Matthew