Back when the term emo wasn’t either an insult or part of the marketing lexicon for tween-targeting clothing stores, there was Sunny Day Real Estate. While not the originators of the fledgling genre, they’re a reminder that melodic, sensitive punk rock hasn’t always been synonymous with poor quality. Together, the band released two records in the mid-nineties that proved to be massively influential and Diary, their debut, even spawned what we used to call an “alternative rock” hit single in the song “Seven.” What happened next was much publicized; lead singer Jeremy Enigk took time away from the band to record his debut solo release Return of the Frog Queen and to actively become a Christian, and a year later the band reformed to craft two more albums before disbanding for good. Three former members of Sunny Day Real Estate, Enigk included, formed The Fire Theft in lieu of simply reforming their old band, but that group also appears to be in hiatus. more ›