Real Estate has a tough sell

Wow, a real estate company with its own annoyingly catchy pop tune.

Beghast - it's the much-lauded, much anticipated release of "How It Feels to Be Something On," the first album in three years by the highly praised Sunny Day Real Estate. But music lovers beware - this day the forecast calls for cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms.

There will be much to storm about as fans and listeners alike may grow increasingly discontent and strikingly angry as they take a walk-in-mediocrity with this "Sunny" foursome. As the 10-song method for pop-alterna-crap unfolds, each track begins quaintly harmless with fruity guitars and wispy drums and then crescendos into lead singer Jeremy Enigk's whining, high pitched vocals. Boo hoo.

Opening the album is the appropriately titled "Pillars," a meld of dark, enchanting guitar chords and boombastic drums. Enigk's voice floats into the song, as his vocals at first are shy but later erupt into a pulsing wave of energy. But "Pillars" is the pillar of the album, the one decent song present on it. Too bad it's track one and there are nine others left.

Following "Pillars" are such tracks as "Two Promises" and "100 Million," which bring nothing new to the album except annoyingly simple melodies and floaty vocal pauses near the middle and ends of each song.

Sunny Day Real Estate
How It Feels to Be Something on ... Sub Pop 1 star Reviewed by Daily Arts Writer Chris Cousino

Songs found on the second half of the album include the title track and "The Shark's Own Private Fuck," two recordings that have melodies so similar that they are basically indistinguishable from each other. "The Prophet" fuses together nice acoustic guitars and melting chants, then turns to slamming drums and soft electric guitar, but goes sour when Enigk forces his pointless lyrics into an otherwise interesting song.

Though the album does provide some enchanting guitar sounds and happening drums, "How It Feels to Be Something On" finds itself to be well reciprocating and dull filler. Much of this is due to the mediocre melodies and the lyrics which play no part in the songs.

Singing the lyrics, Enigk's vocals are somewhat reminiscent of Paul Jago of The Gandharvas, another once-great band that seems to have descended into pop-alternative hell.

Sunny Day Real Estate is not far behind from joining the already festering lesions like Marcy Playground and Harvey Danger.

Drummer William Goldsmith should look to the sunny success of his other band, the Foo Fighters, because his Real Estate will have a hard time selling this property.

09-22-98