Review Summary: Can someone put some trophies near this album?
Emo Classics Series:Episode II
In the previous review about
My Chemical Romance’s iconic breakthrough record Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, I’ve discussed that the Emo genre has been coined by some critics as hardcore-punk-go-pop with themes regarding to misanthropy, self-harm, or, worse, how f***ed up the lyricists were. Indeed, Emo actually attracts audiences for its grunge-like extreme dynamics and, most importantly, brutally confessional and self-loathing lyrics since the 1990s, which indeed turned some conservative listeners’ head about ninety degrees. Among the Emo bands who set the template of the genre at the time, such as
Weezer (only for the first two albums),
The Promise Ring,
Mineral,
Jawbreaker and
Jimmy Eat World, the latter of which is the one of the bands that elevates the genre to the stratosphere. After their commercial failure yet now-landmark Clarity, the Phoenix, Arizona band decided to go their own way by self-financing their follow-up. The resulting album, Bleed American, was not just their commercial table-turner, but was also the industry table-turner that helps the propelling of the Emo genre to the mainstream, as hundreds of Emo bands achieved great commercial success throughout the decade, including JEW themselves. To continue the marathon of the Emo classic album review, I decided to to a deep look at the iconic Bleed American.
(Despite the fact that I would like to review Clarity, which I think is the band’s essential and absolute best and one of the genre’s touchstone, I think since Bleed American plays the pivotal role of pushing the Emo genre into mainstream, as well as it did not fit the criteria in terms of its release date, as I already specify that only 2000s album are eligible in the comment section in the previous review, so I decided to give a review on the follow-up instead.)
To begin with, the album kick things start with the title track, or “Salt, Sweat, Sugar” in the self-titled re-release (because of the censorship after the 9/11 attacks), is a blistering and volatile punk-pop song that sounds aggressive yet poppy enough to keep listeners engaged and, eventually, might subconsciously headbang or even create mosh-pits in live shows. However, beneath those sugary guitar riffs and engaging rhythms, there are dark lyrical themes beneath, with singer Jim Adkins sings about substance abuse (“Clean your conscience, clear your thoughts with Speyside”, which Speycide is a Scottish whiskey), isolation and depression (“I’m not alone ‘cause the TV’s on, yeah/ I’m not crazy 'cause I take the right pills every day”), the abuse of technology (“Tune in and we can get the last call/ Our lives, our coal”) and (surprise) self-harm and depression(“I bled the greed from my arm/ Won't they give it a rest now?❓/ Give it a rest now/ Now, now, now”). With that being said, as well as the redundant verses (why repeat the lines “I'm not alone 'cause the TV's on, yeah/ I’m not crazy 'cause I take the right pills every day”, Jim❓), it serves as a brilliant opener for a great album, that highlights the spirit of the Emo genre, personally and universally relatable yet explosive that you could get out of your bed.
The follow-up to the explosive opener, here comes the anthem “A Praise Chorus”. In the song, singer Adkins asked, “Are you going to live your life wondering/ Standing in the back, looking around❓/ Are you going to waste your time thinking❓/ How you've grown up or how you missed out❓”, “Are you going to live your life standing in the back looking around❓/ Are you going to waste your time❓” and sings, “Got to make a move or you'll miss out”, while mumbles in the chorus, “I'm on my feet, I'm on the floor, I'm good to go”. With the rumbling rhythm, as well as the references of legendary artists such as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (“Crimson and clover, over and over”) and Mötley Crue (“Kick start my rock and rollin’ heart”) in the bridge, this song serves as a powerful and youthful PSA to everyone that you should stand up and chase your own dreams instead of sitting on your sofa (or couch) playing video games or being a wallflower in your life. It could end up a tasteless inspiring anthem, but with the driving force and forceful questions, “A Praise Chorus” is really one anthem that deserves praise.
After the simmering track, we have the ultimate mosh-pit anthem “The Middle”. With the fuzzy guitar melodies, chorus-effect-heavy riffs in the chorus and galloping rhythms, along with lyrics regarding of being optimistic (“Hey, don’t write yourself again/ It’s only in your head you feel left out or looked down on”) and staying true to yourself (“Hey, You know they're all the same/ You know you're doing better on your own so don't buy in/ Live right now/ Just be yourself/ It doesn’t matter if that’s good enough for someone else”), and the stadium-sized hooks in the chorus, this ultimate song serves as an anthem that not only keeps you jump around in the room or even make a mosh-pit in the outdoor festival, it also makes you want to strip your clothes like the teens and throw a party in your house in the song’s music video. It’s may not technically be an Emo song, but it captures the loneliness of outcasts in the society, which is why I would call this classic song an Emo classic.
Then, JEW slow things down with “Your House”, an acoustic cut that reflects about a romantic crush, as Jim sings to the crush about swearing about she also fall in love with him (“When you're on, I swear you're on/ You rip my heart right out”), being out of mind when fall in love with her (“Then out of nowhere, put me right back there”, “You're winning me over with everything you say”), having chemistry with her (“And we know what happens when we get to your house”) and remembering her in dearest (“Well, I throw away everything I've written you/ Oh, anything, just keep my mind off of thinking how I had you once” and “When I let you closer, I only want you closer”) This track is both a hit and a miss, as it really captures the feeling of being in love as a sudden love, yet it (again) falls in the mistake of redundant lyrics. (It seems like the band don’t have any better words than repeatedly chanting “You rip my heart right out/ You rip my heart right out” in the verses and “If you love me at all” in the outro)
However, JEW returns to the darker side with “Sweetness”. The song is the heaviest since the title track, as the riffs are again filled with chorus-effect, and the lyrics is also the most despaired since the title track, as Adkins sings about abusive relationships (“String from your tether unwinds/ Up and outward to bind”) while breaking away from it (“I was spinning free” and “And I'm still running away /Won't play your hide and seek game”) and hoping some kind of substance, say drugs or alcohol or anything that keeps you indulged in hedonism, to numb such pain. (“With a little sweet and simple numbing me”) With such song that describe how you want to be freed from your dark reality, it’s no surprise became such an alternative hit, and not surprising for the band originally intended to list the track in the darker Clarity; they continue to play in the darker territory in “Hear You Me”, a song tribute to sisters Mykel and Carli Allen, a pair of massive JEW and Weezer fans who died in a car crash. In this somber, mourning hymn, frontman Adkins thanks the sisters for their support as a fan (“There's no one in town I know/ You gave us some place to go/ I never said thank you for that/ I thought I might get one more chance/ What would you think of me now/ So lucky so strong so proud❓”), yet mourns about him missing the chance for thanking them. (“I never said thank you for that/ Now I'll never have a chance/ May angels lead you in/ Hear you me my friends/ On sleepless roads the sleepless go”) With the addition of some pianos and That Dog vocalist Rachel Haden, this track is one of a more ethereal tracks in the album, keeping you slowly burst to tears.
After the dark mourning alt-rock-rush, JEW then returns to romantic bitterness with “If You Don’t, Don’t”, “Get It Faster” and “Cautioners”; in the first one, Adkins laments about the desire of wanting more from a platonic love (“We once walked out on the beach and once I almost touched your hand/ Oh how I dreamed to finally say such things then only to pretend”, “Don't you know I'm thinking, driving 405 past midnight/ You know I miss you/ Don't you know that I miss you?/ Ninth and Ash on a Tuesday night”) and wishes of her telling her feeling (the chorus “If you don't, don't know, why would you say so?/ Would you mean this please if it happens?/ If you don't know, why would you say so?/ Won't you get your story straight/ If you don't know, honey, why'd you just say so?/ And I need this now more than I ever did/ If you don't well, honey, then you don’t/ I left you waiting, at the least could we be friends?”); the grunge-oriented “Get It Faster” sculptures about the protagonist’s apathy towards the lover and the relationship (“I don't care what you do/ I’m getting out, no nothing ever shames me/Don't want a thing from you/ I’m going out, I don't care if you're angry”) and even goes on two-timing just to get rid of the relationships (“I'm holding out, not getting an answer/ I’m finding out that cheating gets it faster”); the Haden-guested “Cautioners” then touches on topic of the aftermath of a heartbreak, such as not accepting the reality (“The time I would spend with pictures I would not send/ I watched you go from left to right/ I followed you all night across my blinds”) and keeping distances between each other. (“You'll take your steps away with hesitance/ Take your steps away from me/ I’m making my peace, making it with distance”) The three songs, like “Sweetness”, also captures the pain and difficulties in a romantic relationship in a rather blunt yet eloquent way, but, like some other songs, it also falls into the mistake of redundant lyrics, which could make them boring. However, in these cases, the redundant lyrics gives the songs bigger hooks to sing along, making it more memorable.
Nostalgia then strikes back in (another) Haden-guested song, “The Authority Song”, as Adkins sings lyrics referencing to the Jesus and Mary Chain (“The DJ never has it/ J.M.C. ‘Automatic’) and even the Velvet Underground (“If those were Roy's headphones/ You bet he'd play ‘What Goes On’), all in the while singing about getting attention of a girl (“It's how the hustle goes/ See what the jukebox knows”), while wishing of not getting attentions from her, (“Honesty or mystery❓/ Tell me I'm not scared anymore/ I got no secret purpose/ I don't seem obvious, do I❓”) but also hoping her to dance with him (“Oh, well I'm here, that means something doesn't it❓/ Oh, won't you dance with me a little bit❓/ Oh, you don't notice, cause the music's too loud”). Although the hook “I don't seem obvious, do I❓” continues the mistake of lyrical redundancy, it adds more of a Beach Boys-esque catchiness into the song, along with the simple candy pop-rock guitars, makes it a suitable song for you to hit the dance club to meet your romantic crush.
The Clarity-like melancholy (sort of) completely returns in the Haden-guested acoustic closer “My Sundown”. In the song, Adkins lament about being abandoned by families during the process of chasing the American Dream (“I'm going to be so much more than this/ With one hand high, you'll show them your progress/ You'll take your time, but no one cares/ No one cares”). This song may be one of lesser known in their catalog, but it is as universal as ever, when your dreams are not supported by anyone, and you are forced to face the crossroads of choosing to continue your pursuit to dream or getting back the acceptance from your loved ones. This bittersweet cut does what a great album closer should do: it ends the album’s mood in a smooth and satisfying fashion.
In conclusion, this record is not mainly about the melancholy in Clarity, it’s instead mainly about the teen issues like the band faced during their teenage years and every teens, thanks to the happier lyrics, and the trading of experimentalism for the candy pop hooks, which the cause of the financial difficulty during the recording session forced them to relegate on the pop-friendly alt-rock burst. It’s no experimental masterpiece like their work in Clarity, as it shows redundancy in terms of lyrics in several songs (although it actually makes the album more fun to listen), it’s just an immediately accessible and brilliantly consistent effort that keeps you unleash your emotion for about 46 minutes by dancing around in your room, from having slow flax-ballets to going in a dancing frenzy.
If Clarity is Jimmy Eat World’s Daydream Nation, then Bleed American is their Goo. (You know what I mean if you are also a Sonic Youth fan.)
Recommended Tracks:
Bleed American
A Praise Chorus
The Middle
Sweetness
Hear You Me
My Sundown
