Can Jimmy Eat World do any wrong? Probably not. If ‘Bleed American’ or ‘Futures‘ isn’t knocking athe door of my favourite top 10 records ever, ‘Clarity’ certainly is. Have they done a bad record? Have they released any bad songs? I think another probably not. This five-track EP seems like an odd release coming hot on the heels of ‘Futures‘, but with new material, a cover and a remix I’ll gladly accept it with open arms. And while the remix may not be anything worth getting excited about, it’s the three new songs that make ‘Stay On My Side Tonight’ awesome.
Suffice to say, ‘Disintegration’ is rapidly becoming one of my favourite Jimmy Eat World songs. Taken from the ‘Futures‘ sessions, it spans almost eight minutes and is a real slow burner, creeping towards the inevitable closing crescendo. Jim’s vocals are spot on and the way the band create the tension and release it after so long is something they haven’t really nailed post-‘Clarity’. The vocal melodies are almost looped, going on over and over. It’s just such a lovely, lovely song and this EP is worth purchasing for it alone. Speaking of ‘Clarity’, ‘Over’ is a song from those sessions but failed to make the grade. For many bands tracks end up on the cutting room floor for a reason, but then many bands aren’t Jimmy Eat World. Punchier than the opening song, it maintains JEW’s cleverness and knack for writing simple, catchy songs. Most bands could live off writing tracks as good as this – Jimmy leave them on the cutting room floor.
‘Closer’ is arguably the weakest of the tracks here yet is still of high a standard as we’ve come to expect. It sounds like a cross between ‘Clarity’-era and ‘Bleed American’ style Jimmy Eat World; cautious and careful yet with a nice singalong hook. At nearly six minutes it arguably goes on a little too long mind. The Elliot Smith cover of ‘Half Right’ is done well, although isn’t really as good as the original, while the Styrofoam Remix of ‘Drugs or Me’ leaves a little head-scratching – it’s not a patch on the original either and leaves you wondering why on Earth it’s included on an otherwise quality record.
This EP moves back from the poppier sounds of ‘Futures‘ and edges back to when Jimmy Eat World wrote quality, quality records yet didn’t have the commercial success they have now. ‘Disintegration’ is worth your pocket money alone; if you’re a fan of the band already this record is essential listening. Whether it is an indication of a direction the band may head back to in the future is still in the balance, but it’s a timely reminder of how vital JEW are.
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Interscope
Paul