How It Feels to Be Something On

Sunny Day Real Estate

How It Feels To Be Something On was the first record back after a hiatus and marked a bit of a stylistic change in sound. The album is less angsty, more tender, but still emotionally powerful. There are a lot of slow burners on here like the acoustically driven Every Shining Time You Arrive, Guitar and Video Games and The Prophet, but the song-writing is impeccable and has quite a few awesome qualities. The organ and Jeremy Enigk's vocalisations on the bridge of Every Shining Time... is a really fun moment that really brings up the spirit of the track. Guitar and Video Games features a wonderfully dulcet vocal performance from Enigk and becomes much more impassioned as the track picks up in intensity. The Prophet maybe takes a little too long to establish itself with the lengthy intro that features what I can describe as tribal chanting, but it has one of the most satisfying climaxes; complete with a stunning scream in its final moments.

100 Million is perhaps the most rock oriented tune and is immediately ear-grabbing with the song's opening crunchy guitar riff. Interestingly though, the song takes an unexpected turn and becomes much softer and soothing with the twinkling clean guitars and Enigk's falsetto vocal delivery. Finally, there's the title track which is perhaps my favourite. It is a stunning ballad who's verses are quite somber and melancholic. The choruses become a little more tumultuous as the drums become thicker and the guitar distortion starts to pile on. However, once again, Enigk's voice is here to resolve all the tension. As he sings the song's title and transitions back into the verse, the voice and melody combine to create an incredibly cathartic release.