The prevailing definition of Emo is punky, mostly indie bands who dabble in melody. The fact that Sunny Day Real Estate is considered an Emo band, renders this music classification as useless as any other. What about "Eskimo" that could be a hot new craze--the kids they love to bundle up and mosh around in those igloos. "Eskimo rocks dude--look at my nose."

SDRE are a kick-ass outfit that pretty much defy categorization. On one hand they're a throwback to bands like Zeppelin, Yes and Rush and on the other hand they bear strong resemblance to current bands such as Flaming Lips, Built To Spill and Tripping Daisy--none of which I'd consider Emo.

Just before the release of their second opus LP2, two of the main guys were lured away by Dave Grohl to play in Foo Fighters. On The Rising Tide one of the erstwhile Foos returns and the result is an unqualified masterpiece. This isn't music for the casual listener--this is complicated and challenging stuff that takes some effort to get into. Not that it's all that inaccessible, but it smacks of the art rockof the classic bands mentioned above. Some of their lyrics even dwell in the mystical surreal estate and magical dreamscapes you might remember from early Yes and Genesis.

The Rising Tide is good, hard, solid, intelligent rock and roll and if this sounds like your cup of tea, go ahead and invest in some Real Estate.