Diary
by Sunny Day Real Estate

Side 1 of 'Diary' is some of the most powerful post-hardcore ever recorded--up there with Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., Fugazi, etc. Immaculately produced, as well; thunderous drums at the forefront, with a hint of Albini-style ambience (especially on the vocals). INCREDIBLE vocal performances. The 4-track run opening this album is legendary. Sadly, I feel that the second side sort of trails off into monotony, with a noticeable drop in songwriting quality around the halfway mark. Still, this record is fantastic. (Edited)

Midwest emo is definitely not my genre (mainly due to vocals), but this album is pretty good.

A great record that is very emotive and dynamic. It switches from being heavy to being soft so easily and both work incredibly well. There are amazing tracks on here as well that really stand out and captivate you such as Sometimes and Shadows. The vocal is very solid throughout and while it can be a little patchy on the weaker tracks it really does hit home at some points and really conveys the lyrics brilliantly. The instrumentation is the peak of the album for me though with it being very versatile and multi-layered. A special mention as well to the drums on this record which keep the whole record together and is my personal favourite part. This is definitely a record to listen to if you haven't heard it already and I do think it is underrated on this site and should be much higher ranked. (Edited)

From luigybetis 10/23/2018 19:29 | #223134

What an album, it is incredible how good it manages to blends soft and hard... 9/10.

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From xMUSICSNOBx 04/03/2017 20:25 | #188615

One of the best albums of the predecessors of the genre. Feels like I'm on a boat, swaying with the waves, falling asleep for an un-needed nap in the sun.
Best tracks: In Circles, 48, Sometimes.
Worst: Seven, 47. (Edited)

From RoundTheBend 05/21/2016 17:16 | #166586

Was really into this band for a bit in the late 90s/early 00s when this sound was "popular" and I was 14 or so. Listening to it now and it's ok. Favorite Tracks: The Blankets Were The Stairs and In Circles.

I think this album should be higher ranked here.

Not big on Emotive Hardcore, but this album really is a good one.

First three songs and 47 are really, really impressive but after that the album just falls falls on it's back with hopeless repetitions of the same lyrics and instrumentation.
I can sense the immense potential these guys had on this record but I was still super disappointed that it didn't pay off for something wholly worthwhile or memorable.
This is all my opinion though, if anybody else liked it then that's rad. (Edited)