Additional personnel: Casey Rice, Piggy Rice (guitar).

Recorded at Idful, Chicago, Illinois.

Personnel: Dan Hoerner, Jeremy Enigk (vocals, guitar); William Goldsmith (drums).

Audio Mixer: Brad Wood.

Recording information: Idful Studio (11/1993).

Photographer: Lynn Hamrick.

From the crunching, frenetic yet undeniably melodic opening chords of "Seven," it is apparent that DIARY, the debut offering from Seattle's Sunny Day Real Estate, brings something unique to the table. Perhaps it is Jeremy Enigk's high-pitched and skyward-spiraling rasp, a variety of rasp heard neither before nor since, or the brilliantly oblique-without-being-pretentious lyrics. It could also be the profound pop-tinge that outshines the work of contemporaries such as Quicksand and Seaweed.

DIARY, which was produced by the ever-dependable Brad Wood, is made up of a series of perfectly positioned epic songs that flow into one another in a way that resembles a rock opera. From the roaring pop masterpiece "Seven" to the imploring "In Circles" to the whirling, wandering ballad "Song About an Angel," a compelling thread weaves through DIARY. Nowhere is the majesty more evident than on the somber "Grendel," a near-gothic symphony strong enough to move the most ardent hardcore kid to tears. The truest testimonial to the significance of DIARY has come from the host of bands (the Promise Ring, the Get Up Kids, Mineral, etc.) who have claimed Sunny Day as an influence.