The Fire Theft begins where Sunny Day Real Estate ends . . . actually, long before that.
Like Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods for human use, The Fire Theft reaches
back far beyond the ’90s-era SDRE, boldly attempting to snatch flames from rock gods The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, The Who, Brian Wilson. Like Sunny Day Real Estate,
The Fire Theft’s molten core is Jeremy Enigk and William Goldsmith, natives of
Seattle’s eastside who have been musical partners since their punk teen years; Enigk is
the anguished poetic lyricist, whose kite-high vocals are anchored by the pummeling,
earthy drumming of Goldsmith. Formed in 1992, Sunny Day was one of the first bands
tagged with the now-ubiquitous “emo” label; SDRE released five critically acclaimed
albums that developed legions of passionate followers. The on-again, off-again band
split for good in 2002, and now Enigk and Goldsmith are re-joined in Fire Theft by Nate
Mendel, a founding SDRE member who left to join Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters
(Goldsmith was also in Grohl’s crew for a few years.)
Those who assume The Fire Theft is simply a repackaged, re-named Sunny Day
Real Estate will be massively mistaken. The Fire Theft’s self-titled debut album is a
staggering leap forward for the members, particularly Enigk; long-time SDRE disciples –
and there are plenty of them, and they spend hours debating “hidden meanings” – may or
may not climb aboard for this journey; while some might be disappointed and confused
by the differences, those who can handle change will be exhilarated.
Produced by Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins, Red Red Meat, early Liz Phair,
Tortoise, SDRE) “The Fire Theft” is a place where bleak visions stew, desperately
searching for a crack of light: desperation divided by desire. “A lot of times, it’s really
dark,” says Enigk, “but the album takes a turn for the hopeful.” No longer the
wunderkind of the Seattle rock scene, Enigk is now in his late 20s, and the maturity
shows in his refined songwriting, consistently adventurous and courageous, constantly
calling out his demons.
The album is launched by “Uncle Mountain,” soaring, intense, shades of Pink
Floyd and Led Zep’s “Physical Graffiti.” A brief piano interlude cleanses the palate for
the hypnotic “Oceans Apart,” which on closer listen deals some disturbing double
meanings: “raise your arms/we’ll lift the sky.” After “Chain” (“straight-ahead, to the
jugular,” says Enigk), the playful jam “Backwards Blues” calls forth the Beatles.
“Magical Mystery Tour” also echoes through “Summertime,” where a blue sky is
soon darkened by Goldsmith’s ominous drumming, and the tone in Enigk’s voice starts to
ricochet between nostalgia and dread, as he struggles to “lift back the veil that hides you
from me.”
From The Beatles, The Fire Theft naturally drifts to Brian Wilson for “Houses,” a
blissful romp fueled by a string quartet and rippling, poolside lines and a comical
conclusion: “I thought that I was crazy/all along it was just a girl.”
Perhaps the gem of the powerful album is “Heaven,” which begins as a pretty
piano tune, builds just slightly on Mendel’s looming bass -- then explodes into a wall of
noise, Enigk’s guitar and Goldsmith’s drums laying sonic catharsis.
The album’s closer is “Sinatra,” a Who-inspired epic with constant, jarring
changes. “It’s probably the peak of the record,” Enigk says, gazing out his front door into
the setting sun. “There’s a lot of uncertainty, depression, feelings of guilt on the album.
‘Sinatra’ is an epiphany, the realization that you can release yourself from your mind . . .
It’s definitely the boldest lyrics I’ve written – I had to dig deep, and it was painful. Now I
know what I need to do to be a man.”
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