Review Summary: When you're depressed, listen to this
I’m about to make some shrink very happy right now. I’m not sure what they’ll be doing here on sputnik, but I’m sure there are some shrinks out there that love music. He’ll come across this review, read what I’m about to tell the world and probably try to email me, telling me he can help me. But, I’m sure he’ll send it with the title “URGENT!!! READ RIGHT AWAY!!!!” that I can easily just delete it without even having to take a glance at it. So, I suppose it’s not as big a deal to just come out and say it as I’m making it, so here it is:
I love being depressed.
I really have no idea what it is that makes me feel this way. Whenever things are going good for me, I just have to go ahead and ruin it in the worst possible way. Whenever I’m having a pleasant chat with a member of the opposite gender, and it looks like something may actually happen, I just somehow find a way to say something completely inappropriate (according to them) and make them avoid contact with me for as long as possible. So, it should come as no surprise that album has become a favorite of mine in the past couple months.
Diary is the perfect album to put on while sitting home alone on a Friday night without any lights on. Even if all the lights are on in your house, once
Diary starts playing, all the lights automatically shut themselves off. So, I suppose on this lonely Friday night, it’s as good a time as any to put out a review of the soundtrack to the lonely Friday.
The instrumentation on this album is absolutely astounding. Everything fits together so well and nothing seems out of place in the least. Every guitar riff fits perfectly into each song, and each bass riff matches perfectly with that guitar riff, and the drums fit perfectly with everything else. And then of course, there’s the center of it all, Jeremy Enigk’s voice. He may not necessarily have a great voice by overall standards, but when compared to the band backing him up, he suits it perfectly. His wails are emotional and he has that little whiny characteristic to his voice, but not so whiny that it’s annoying as is the norm today among the scene this album popularized. It seems that kids these days are trying so hard to be just like Enigk, but in the end, never coming as close as they hope.
There’s this jewelry store commercial around here where I live, and the one line that sticks out most is where the owner of the store claims that “every gem is painstakingly hand-crafted”. This is exactly how I feel the guitar riffs and bass riffs for this album were created. I can’t begin to imagine the amount of emotion and time it took guitarist Daniel Hoerner and bassist Nate Mendel to craft each of these riffs. Not one note feels unnecessary. Every riff just sets the mood up perfect for the melancholy topics of Enigk’s wailing, and to be quite honest, I’m not sure what about, because I’m too afraid to look up the lyrics and kill the mystique that the album exhibits so perfectly. William Goldsmith, the drummer, also happens to hold up his end of the bargain. In the slower songs, he doesn’t seem to mind just playing some simple beats to set the mood, but when the sound culminates and explodes, he becomes a madman and an outstanding drummer, never letting any moment become dull with his exciting fills.
In
Seven everything comes together to create one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard. Though it may sound a bit clichéd to anyone who may begin listening to it now, as its “distorted-clean-distorted” formula has become a bit overused, it is still an extraordinary song. Every member of the band is at their best, but there is a huge downside to the song: Because it opens up the album, and is a truly outstanding song, it really only sets the rest of the album up for disappointment.
Diary is essence of teamwork. Every member does their part, and does it at 110%, and in the end it becomes a masterpiece. The feel of the album may be of tragedy, though, it is a beautiful tragedy.
. I'm in love with this album. The last four songs are perfect.
