Emo masterpiece finally complete! Sunny Day Real Estate's Diary is one of those albums that will be played in record shops until the end of the time. From generation to generation, handed down as if this has been in the family for eons, the album is just classic through and through. Often credited as the defining moment of what second gen emo truly was and the bridge between the post hardcore into the actual use of the genre name 'Emo'. Unlike their Seattle peers at the time, Diary wasn't of the grunge sort and luckily didn't get pinned onto the group. The music, still slightly aggressive, is much more melodic in the arrangement and emotionally driven (duh). Original vinyl pressings were missing 4 tracks that were included on the CD version; this double vinyl reissue offers the album in its entirety on vinyl for the first time. The audio has also been remastered from the original tapes and comes with liner notes and those unforgettable lyrics.

• 30th anniversary edition
• 'pearl' colored double vinyl pressing
• includes full original tracklist
• remastered from the original tapes
• housed in gatefold sleeve w/ liner note booklet
• limited edition of 1500
• original release year: 1994
• music label: Sub Pop 2009

reviewed by Sunny Day Trill Estate 03/2016