Jeremy Enigk

When Sunny Day Real Estate founder and front man Jeremy Enigk left the band at the apparent peak of their powers, many fans were inconsolable. Their shadow had just begun to cross the threshold of mainstream acceptance. After taking a brief soul-searching hiatus from recording, Enigk returned in 1996 with a brilliant solo album, The Return of the Frog Queen. On this outing, Enigk traded in sonic cavalcades of guitar for string arrangements and swapped heart-impaling confessional psalms for brooding, imaginative fables. The album offers a sumptuous repast of orchestral rock and Lewis Carroll-inspired lyrics at which Renaissance Fair enthusiasts, Emoids, and discriminating Goths may dine with equal delight. Though Enigk would subsequently return to the Sunny Day Real Estate fold, for many fans, this will remain his most impressive showing.