A Nice Piece of Real Estate
If you’ve been waiting for the next best thing to a new Sunny Day Real Estate album since The Fire Theft, your day has come. Having expelled his less-becoming solo skeletons on 1996’s Return of the Frog Queen, Jeremy Enigk returns to the swelling melodic sweetness for which he’s known. With the cinematic crescendo that begins World Waits, Enigk dramatically opens the curtain and makes it clear that he has every intention to fulfill this expectation.Aside from satisfying veteran fans, newcomers should find much to nod their heads to in these 10 carefully assembled pop-ballad microanthems. Sonically, the timbre-rich World Waits sounds as if Enigk enlisted an orchestra to back his vulnerable tenor. Despite this, the album still retains a sense of musical simplicity and honesty in line with the most bared indie crusader soul.
While the spotlight is focused more on Enigk the man than in previous ensembles, emotive standouts like “Burn” and the potent title track justify his soloist singer/songwriter credentials. Cruising speed is immediately set with the straightforward and single-ready “Been Here Before,” while the relaxed and velvety “River To Sea” effortlessly pours into your eardrums. “City Tonight” takes a darker and more authoritative drive into Enigk’s first-person contemplations of love, though he remains perseverant to the end.
Start to finish, World Waits is an optimistic ride along Enigk’s familiar emotional spectrum. Taken as another chapter in Enigk’s prolific music career, or as an introduction to his back catalogue, World Waits deserves to be added to your music library.
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