s/t
‘Jeremy Enigk could sing over the sounds of fornicating cats and it would be highly praised. Believe it or not, it’s a good thing, because Sunny Day Real Estate fans have been waiting too long in anticipation to admit defeat. No matter what this release ended up sounding like, it would do well. Special spots have been reserved in numerous CD trays for this record, as the band searched endlessly for a label that would put out the first, self-titled release from The Fire Theft.
The band states, and many reviewers agree, that The Fire Theft sounds nothing like Sunny Day Real Estate. In a sense, this is correct. The Fire Theft does not sound like proper, early SDRE. The new band does not have the energy, enthusiasm, or that band’s groundbreaking aura about it. On the other hand, the tunes do sound similar to later Sunny Day songs from albums such as “How It Feels To Be Something On” and “The Rising Tide.” (At the very least, the band’s musical progression becomes a bit more tangible on these albums.)
The Fire Theft has reached the other side of the musical spectrum. Whereas Sunny Day abandoned the traditional sounds of the scene from which they emerged, The Fire Theft has come to embrace the traditions of many rock bands. Where the old band was rough around the edges and thrived on experiment, the new band has been reborn into a tried-and-true formula of honest lyrics, basic rock melodies and non-abrasive progressions.
“The Fire Theft” is a good album but will most likely be a barely suppressed disappointment for long-time SDRE fans. A great deal of reconciliation needs to take place between fan and band in order to appreciate this album. Mainly, fans need to accept that, with the release of this album, The Fire Theft may just become the Chicago of our generation; a band that will last forever, playing safe and harmless tunes to a generation of aging fans unwilling to admit that they and their idols are no longer fighting to be at the cutting edge.
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