Sunny Day Real Estate — Diary [reissue]

It's a rare but welcome occurrence when someone can point to a record and say, "that album changed my life." And few records have been on the receiving end of that comment as often as Seattle group Sunny Day Real Estate's Diary debut.

Released at the height of grunge in 1994, Diary opened doors for almost everyone who heard it. It married Rites Of Spring's confessional lyrical tone with Slint's instrumental adventures and odd song structures and laid the groundwork for late-'90s emo bands like Death Cab For Cutie and Jimmy Eat World, who would eventually help push the obscure sub-genre into the pop-music mainstream.

The album is finally getting the remastering process it so deserves thanks to the recent reunion of the band's original four members, including Foo Fighters bass player Nate Mendel, who sat out the band's last reformation in the late 1990s.

Handled by original producer Brad Wood, the record sounds fantastic, popping out of your headphones and really capturing the band's raw energy. The group's debut seven-inch "Thief Steal Me A Peach" is also included here, making this the perfect collection of one of the 1990s most important bands at their early peak.

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