As far as emo kids go, I was a pretty lame one back in high school. I mean, I liked Weezer (and *cringe* Dashboard Confessional) as much as the next dude, but guyliner? Hot Topic? Sorry, pass. Still, that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the classics, and Sunny Day Real Estate’s 1998 masterpiece How It Feels To Be Something On is definitely one of those. Gifted with proggy musical chops and enough melodrama to make Days of Our Lives blush, SDRE was at its wailing, uninhibited best on How It Feels and songs such as "Every Shining Time You Arrive." So it’s interesting to hear a quieter take on the song from L.A.-based four-piece Division Day (pictured).
The band has contemporaries in ’80s influenced acts like Interpol and the Killers but its postpunk jams are less about big hooks and more about hypnotic immersion and dark lyrics. Singer Rohner Segnitz’s dry, whispery vocals on this cover are a far cry from SDRE frontman Jeremy Enigk’s scenery-chewing anguish, and the band’s slow and steady performance turns the track into an atmospheric dirge. It’s almost moody enough to sound like Joy Division, who, genre semantics aside, were probably the most emo band ever. Sounds great to me. But what do you think, P-Dubs? Listen to D-Day’s cover here, and let us know in the comments if it’s emo enough for you.
Comments (1-6) of 6
It’s a bit of a snoozer, as far as covers go. Doesn’t have the impact of the original. But then again, I haven’t had my coffee yet. & I wholeheartedly agree with your assessement of “How It Feels…”, though “Diary” was the Sunny Day album to beat for this kid.
I’d never classify early Weezer as emo. I don’t think that tag was even around during the mid-late 90s.
sorry, can’t get passed the fact that it is not Enigk singing. You just can’t replace his voice when it comes to that song.
this track is SO amazing! it’s modern and soothing, but doesn’t take away from the original feel of the song. KUDOS Division Day!
Weezer = emo ?! I don’t see how that is possible – if so I need to wash my ears out with soap. Can’t stand emo, and I’m waiting for the whiny trend in music to end.
The term “emo” has actually been around since the mid-1980s, when bands such as Rites of Spring and Embrace were dubbed “emocore” by some. That said, Weezer was always a straightforward power pop band, even when Pinkerton is at its most melodramatic.
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