A Fistful of Late ’90s/Early ’00s Emo
While of course I’m a fan of the “Revolution Summer” era bands (EMBRACE, RITES OF SPRING, et al.) as well as many others that would (for better or worse) get the emo tag from the late ’80s all the way to the mid ’90s, the recent announcement of SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE’s reunion tour in the fall has led me to pull out my other records from the era of their first reunion (roughly 1998 to 2002). Thus, my list this week is dedicated to that much-maligned and misunderstood genre’s last days of being viable before its name was tarnished forever by watered-down pop-punk.
I know that I left off some important bands from this era, like BRAID, MINERAL, THE GET UP KIDS, et al. but that’s because I never really got into them. Sorry!
The Promise Ring – Very Emergency (Jade Tree)
One of my favorite albums of the last ten years is also, by a longshot, the best thing this Milwaukee-based band ever did. Formed from the ashes of the now legendary CAP’N JAZZ, it took them three albums to achieve this pop-punk masterpiece, but achieve it they did. Pay no mind to those who say that it sounds like GREEN DAY . This is a far, far better effort than their previous full-lengths or their very different last record, 2002’s Wood/Water. Poppiness and catchiness are not bad thing and on this album, The Promise Ring retained enough twenty-something, awkward angst and rawness to prevent any charges of “sellout” from sticking. The best track is the almost CARS -like “Skips a Beat (Over You)”. Pure pop heaven.
Sunny Day Real Estate – How It Feels to Be Something On (Sub Pop)
Their last record for Sub Pop and the record they made the first time they reunited back in 1998, this was originally slated as a set of songs for JEREMY ENIGK ‘s second solo album. It’s very much a Sunny Day record, though, and the orchestration of his solo debut (1996’s Return of the Frog Queen) is largely absent here (though it would resurface on their swan song, 2000’s stunning The Rising Tide). Instead, it’s a full-band record that’s a million miles more developed than their first two albums were. Many of the songs tend to deal with infidelity and on songs like the great opener “Pillars”, the incredible “Two Promises” (my favorite Sunny Day song) and the title track, Enigk sounds like he’s baring his soul as his heart is getting ripped out.
Emo (though I always had problems with the term) always gets knocked around for baring its heart on its sleeve, so if you don’t like confessional songwriting, stay far away from this one. If you like good, honest, heartfelt music that’s at times maybe a little too painful, give this one a shot.
Jets to Brazil – Orange Rhyming Dictionary (Jade Tree)
After the incredible JAWBREAKER (themselves occasionally lumped into the “emo” category, though from an earlier time than the one chronicled here) broke up in 1996, singer/guitarist BLAKE SCHWARTZENBACH formed this band. This is their debut and arguably their best record. The sound is an extension of where Jawbreaker were headed with Dear You, but without that band’s visceral punches to the gut. Instead, the songs are more introspective and there’s more of an emphasis on melody here as well. Songs like “Morning New Disease” and “Resistance is Futile” show off a subtle new wave influence, perhaps directly paralleling bands like RADIO 4 or COMPUTER COUGAR . The real stunner here is “Chinatown”. Its slow buildup and somewhat cryptic lyrics make sure you won’t mistake them for Jawbreaker’s “Chesterfield King” or “Sluttering (May 4th)”, for example, but they do the job nonetheless.
Jets to Brazil – Four-Cornered Night (Jade Tree)
Although this Lp was unfairly maligned at the time, I liked it as soon as I first heard it. Perhaps some folks were thrown off by the unexpectedly alt-country stylings of some of the material here (most notably “Little Light”) or Blake’s new fixation with the piano (most notably on the beautiful ballad “In the Summer’s When You Really Know”). I think they went in a very interesting direction here, though, and there’s more “traditional” JTB material here like “Air Traffic Control” and the stunning “Milk and Apples”, too. It’s too bad that they made a sub-par third album and broke up, though.
Fugazi – The Argument (Dischord)
OK this is definitely cheating a little bit since Fugazi started in the late ’80s, spawning dozens of imitators all throughout the ’90s. However, this 2001 effort is their last record, so I thought it merited inclusion here. While the EP “Furniture”, which directly preceded it, represented a return to their roots, The Argument is another example of Fugazi moving forward. The anti-gentrification anthem “Cashout” is a bit of a red herring here, as much of the rest of this effort is as experimental as Red Medicine, for example.
At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command (Grand Royal)
Before this great band split in 2001, many thought that they would be huge and the heavy MTV rotation of “One Armed Scissor” did nothing to dispel such notions. Regardless, this is a monster record and sort of a more commercial early ’00s answer to FUGAZI ‘s early records. Later they would split into the faithful-sounding SPARTA and the wildly experimental, neo-prog MARS VOLTA , but neither has ever done anything as compelling as At the Drive-In’s best work.
Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American (Dreamworks)
With the success of this album (it went platinum mainly on the strength of the single “The Middle”) and 2004’s Futures (which went gold), some folks tend to forget that with 1999’s Clarity, they established themselves as the rare major label band that was well respected in the indie-underground. While I like Clarity and actually regard it as perhaps the single most influential record of the last ten years (ironically, mainly on vastly inferior bands whose songwriting skills pale in comparison and who take its slickness well beyond my personal comfort zone), it’s this one that really grabbed me.
From the supercharged title track, this album grabs a hold of you and never lets go, with only the ballads “Hear You Me” and the closer “My Sundown” allowing you to exhale. Here’s the thing, though. It’s a joyous ride all the way through with singles like the aforementioned “The Middle” and “Sweetness” winning over the masses. Even better are the incredible “A Praise Chorus” (also a single), “Get It Faster,” “If You Don’t, Don’t” and “Authority Song”, which namechecks not only the JOHN MELLENCAMP song of the same name but THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN ‘s Automatic as well.
In short, this is a stunner. Rarely is such heavy music so melodic and sweet with its heart on its sleeve, but hard-edged as well.
…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead – Source Tags and Codes (Interscope)
Although I don’t think that this album deserves the ludicrously high 10.0 rating that it got on Pitchfork when it was released in 2002, it is a solid effort with songs like the opener “It Was There That I Saw You,” “Another Morning Stoner” and my favorite, “How Near, How Far”, all standing out.
Though this Austin, TX band aren’t usually classified in the “emo” genre, a primary influence (Sunny Day Real Estate) usually is, so I’m including it here.
Thursday – Full Collapse (Victory)
I’ll be honest here. Although I was friendly with singer GEOFF RICKLY (who I went to college with), I was never a huge fan of Thursday. I do, however, like parts of this album (particularly the singles “Understanding in a Car Crash” and “Cross Out the Eyes”)., Furthermore, the one time I saw them live (at Maxwells opening for WALTER SCHRIEFELS ‘ new just formed RIVAL SCHOOLS) around the time of this record’s release, they were fabulous and completely blew Rival Schools off the stage!
Sunny Day Real Estate – The Rising Tide (Time Bomb)
I know that I listed this a few weeks ago, but frankly it’s good enough to list here again. This is Sunny Day Real Estate’s best album and one of my favorites of the last ten years by anyone. Period.
