Jeremy Enigk--World Waits

After leaving Sunny Day Real Estate, Jeremy Enigk initially put down his guitar and walked away from music. That didn’t last long however, and his first solo album Return of the Frog Queen appeared in 1996. Ten years later Enigk has completed his second solo work, the aptly-titled World Waits. Much as Return of the Frog Queen was departure from Sunny Day Real Estate’s raw emotional rock, World Waits is heavily orchestral without losing the sensitive touch. Enigk takes some simple folk influences from Belle and Sebastian and an all-embracing orchestral sound similar to Sleeping At Last to craft an interesting pop piece. Songs like "Dare a Smile" feature Enigk’s fragile voice and a simple acoustic guitar. The simplicity adds to the intimacy of Enigk’s songs, and really do help the overall sound. Far from being pretentiously emo, Enigk comes off as soothing and peaceful. As one might expect, piano and orchestral parts are used almost as much as guitar, and Enigk’s religious influences can be felt throughout., especially in songs like "River To Sea" that features delicate piano sweeping into fervent peak. Even touches of an 80’s Van Halen and bits of U2 can be heard in "Cannons." An interesting pop piece, World Waits is unassuming, pleasantly simple, and just a relaxing listen. While ten years is a bit long to wait for something like this, Jeremy Enigk shows that he’s still running strong. Even if it takes a few years.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)