Jimmy Eat World,
Jimmy Eat WorldPhew, this is a heavy record. Not in a duh-duh-duh-duh, one-dimensional sports-rock, a la Slipknot kinda way, more an emotionally heavy record. And boy, it's a bit complicated. Maybe I'm a bit stupid or slow or something. maybe I just don't get it.
Ever since the amazing 'Bleed American' opus hit our shelves, I knew I had to get my grubby mits on some more Jimmy Eat World. And whilst I could have played safe and gone for the critically acclaimed 'Clarity,' I opted to be a little braver and go for the 'difficult' debut album. And by God, is it hard work.
Jimmy Eat World show various flashes of the brilliance that we now see with amazing regularity with this record. But there are far to many moments where you are left scratching your head and thinking, "what the fuck???" They seem a rather complicated lot this Jimmy Eat World.
Compiled of one-offs and a handful of rarities, the band have said themselves that this is their worst release. And should we believe them? Well, yep. It's not that bad, it's just so damn hard to listen to in one sitting and ENJOY! There isn't one band on show here, there are several.
Anyway, enough of the critic speak. Let's get to the nitty-gritty. 'Opener' is an effects-laden, distorted Weezer-esque track which is a definite highlight. '77 Satelites' starts off in a similar manner before going a bit Pearl Jam. It's still good, but kinda weird. 'What Would I Say To You Now,' is not that dissimilar to the Get Up Kids. Punchy and powerful with an excellent layered distorted guitar. But the less said about the melancholic 'Speed Read' the better.
The Wedding Present cover 'Spangle' is by far the best track here, and 'H Model' isn't too far behind. Both are pretty good emo/rock songs. Unlike 'Ramira,' a weird, squally feedback-fest, brooding all the while without ever really hitting the spot. It's a four minute instrumental. Doesn't that say enough?
'Christmas Card' is the Get Up Kids. Please tell me it's the Get Up Kids. I swear goddamnit! Who copied who guys? This is followed by the intracite 'Untitled,' which doesn't really fit onto an album like this at all. Sure, it is a beautiful song, but where is the cohesion? This CD has a great collection of songs, but stick them together and it all falls apart. 'Carbon Scoring' shows a different side to the band further, a real 100mph punkathon, inter-mingled with shouty vocals. And it sounds half-decent too.
Overall, we have lots of good songs. But absolutely no cohesion. This is more like a compilation CD, with about six different bands. To quote everyone's favourite white rapper, "will the real Jimmy Eat World please stand up?"
Paul Savage
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