Some records are impossible to follow up. Such is the case with Sunny Day Real Estate and their 1998 opus How it Feels to be Something On--a complete and fully-realized album few can compete with. Live, on the other hand, comes off as uninspired, neither capturing SDRE's textured guitar assault nor doing justice to frontman Jeremy Enigk's keen and insightful lyrics of faith and longing. However, that may end up being a good thing for SDRE. Read on.
What this whole mess comes down to is the fact that SDRE just doesn't have enough material yet to warrant this kind of recording. It is painfully obvious that Sub Pop was in need of a cash cow, and SDRE looked to be their fattest calf. The band's 1999 parting with the label seems to confirm said accusations.
Long-time fans will appreciate a cohesive collection of some of their best songs, because the songs themselves are great--haunting and melodic as they pound their way through your speakers. Plus, Live gives equal time to all three of SDRE's studio efforts (Diary, LP2, How it Feels...), even if there are only eleven tracks. This is not an album, however, that SDRE wants first-timers to hear. The good news for everyone: their next record is due June 2000 on Time Bomb Records. Temporarily free of the inevitable comparisons to How it Feels..., the new record will, hopefully, get the guys back on track and back in all of our CD players.
2.5 tocks
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