Review Summary: The overall sense of optimism and energy found on this album hasn’t been matched since Jimmy Eat Worlds Bleed America release.
If you want to ignore my diatribe about earlier Jimmy releases then just skip the first paragraphs and go to the track rundown.
I only starting listening to Jimmy eat world or JEW (how’s that for an acronym) with their release Bleed America which was later self titled due to the S11 attacks. This platinum selling record is my favourite to date as it has the perfect blend of pop rock hooks and catchy chorus’s. However I must admit that when I first gave this album a spin it didn’t really appeal to me. The initial pop flavour was the antithesis of the music I was listening to at the time, which was mainly fast and loud punk. While I have since given Static Prevails, Clarity and Futures a good listening to I’ve never liked these earlier releases as much as some other fans out there as I found them to be too slow for my liking. I also think this overemphasis of softer melodies can sometimes tread a fine line between pop music and sappy songs about relationships. However if you can relate to their lyrics or you can forgive their sentimentalism you’ll more likely to get more out of Jimmy Eat World and hence this album.
Track Rundown
1. Big Casino: A rousing number that rocks hard (well as hard as Jimmy gets anyway). Good tune that grabs you from start to finish with a cool chorus about living life to it’s full after your prime has gone. Described by Jimmy as a loser anthem. As with a lot of releases nowadays this first track is the best off the album. 10/10
2. Let It Happen: Carries on the rocking momentum built up from the last track with twanging guitars and a catchy bridge. The soft deceptive “ha, ha’s” convey the message of using bravado to fake strength in a relationship. 9/10
3. Always Be: This number starts of fairly slowly and has a soft finger clicking and twanging of guitars in the background. This song is about how co-dependency in a relationship can lead to vulnerability. While the chorus is slightly repetitive the melodic sound of this song is still enjoyable. 7/10
4. Carry You: This overtly pop friendly number is too sugar-coated with female backing harmonies and sappy vocal “do, doo’s” to thoroughly enjoy. The slightly toned down guitar and slow speed doesn’t really do it for me either. This song involves analysing and looking for too much in a relationship rather than living in the real moment. 6/10
5. Electable (Give It Up): Back to a rocking drumbeat and full of catchy “oh oh’s” and stirring guitars in the background. Its politic message is slightly glossed over with simpler lyrics than expected from a song that should be full of anger. However as with other aggressive JEW songs (Nothing Wrong and Pain) the real anger is best expressed through the guitar hooks. The infectious energy on this track makes it my 2nd favourite song of the album. 10/10
6. Gotta Be Somebody’s Blues: A slow but enjoyable track about apathy that starts off with acoustic guitar and violin in the background. The stable drumbeat kicks off the moody vibe of this song while the soft mournful vocals, strong string work and drawn out pace make this the most atmospheric song on the album. 8/10
7. Feeling Lucky: This is the second loser anthem on the album with a title that along with Big Casino carries on the gambling theme. An early chorus and great guitar hook push this song along. Again more female backing humming and a very catchy chorus will have you singing along in no time. 9/10
8. Here It Goes: My least favourite song off the album seems to be trying too hard to be tick all the boxes for a perfect track. The hand clapping (probably synthetised) and female backing leads to the most pop sounding song on the album which is meant to be about knowing what is really important to you. It’s at this point that Jimmy crosses into territory that’s too radio-friendly for me. 5/10
9. Chase This Light: This title track follows on from the last song in that it’s slightly lacking in depth and just not unique enough to stick with me. Cring worthy lyrics like “Confetti rainfall” are just too sappy and sentimental for me. 6/10
10. Firefight: Doesn’t start of promising (see above two tracks) but the pop guitar hooks keeps things moving along until the rousing drums and chorus pick up. By the end this song about viewing new things seems to have more of an anthem feeling than Feeling Lucky or Big Casino. 8/10
11. Dizzy: This song is appropriately titled with soaring hooks and vocals that build up and spin down again. This song didn’t really do much for me the first time but has really grown on me after a few listens. The string work and passionate vocals give this song a vibe that that reminds me of some of JEW’s epic’s such as Futures or Get It Faster. 9/10
Highlight Tracks
Big Casino
Electable (Give It Up)
Gotta Be Somebody’s Blues
Feeling Lucky
While Chase This Light is missing some of the heavier guitar work found on Futures the faster pace of songs makes this album much lighter and easier to listen to than JEW’s earlier work. On the flipside the female backing vocals on most songs overstay their welcome and a few tracks lack a certain level of depth and are too pop orientated to be of lasting value. However the overall sense of optimism and energy found on this album hasn’t been matched since the Bleed America days when Jimmy Eat World’s were at their pop rock best.
