Jimmy Eat World tops last
album
By Nate Cross
Staff Writer
Every once in a while somebody’s favorite
band breaks into the big time, finding themselves playing in large venues
to sold-out crowds and rockin' a video on MTV.
And it is always the case that when somebody’s
favorite band makes it big, there are a lot of hurt music fans who claim
to have "liked them for years" and have all their old CDs.
It happens all the time, every day.
Needless to say, there are a lot of upset Jimmy
Eat World fans right now. The reason a lot of people are mad is because
the newest album by Jimmy Eat World, "Bleed American," is so good.
There has been a buzz around Jimmy Eat World since
the release of their last album, the critically acclaimed, emotionally
charged "Clarity."
It was the spitting image of a classic "emo" album:
soft, hushed lyrics that explode into quick, hard riffs and then back
to the lulled tone. There were songs about lost love, with whiny lyrics
and wailing vocals. It is music that builds lyrically, sonically and
emotionally.
After a two-year wait, Jimmy Eat World has delivered
in a big way with a record that is smarter than Weezer’s newest
and more rocking than Blink-182's.
The first thing that stands out about the new record
is that it is a big departure from the slow power of "Clarity." While
there are slow tunes on "Bleed American," the record is built on quick
rock songs.
The opening song on "Bleed American" is the record’s
namesake, which is also the album's first single. It is a fast tune
driven by guitar. Lead singer Jim Adkins’ opening lines, "I’m
not alone because the TV’s on/I’m not crazy because I take
the right pills every day and rest," take a stab at modern America.
"Bleed American" is also the opening to the record’s
theme of isolation and unrest.
The fifth track, "Sweetness," was originally a
concert favorite left unrecorded. The track's echoed vocals make it
obvious why it was such a concert crowd-pleaser, but it works well on
the album as well. Adkins makes his motive clear from the start, "Are
you listening?/Then sing it back."
The best song on "Bleed American" is "A Praise
Chorus." Adkins sings with a Roger Daltry-esque shutter and stumble,
backed by quick drumming and (surprise!) fast guitar. The hook, "I’m
on my feet/I’m on the floor/I’m good to go/all I need is just
to hear a song I know" is clever and catchy.
In a rousing finish, Adkins hears a song he knows
as Davey VonBohlen, lead singer of The Promise Ring, sings a little
of Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover."
"Bleed American" is sharp in the way that it blends
the dominating killer rockers with slow whiny songs like "Your House"
and "Hear You Me."
While original fans of Jimmy Eat World may be upset
that their favorite little band has gotten big, they can rest easy knowing
that "Bleed American" was the best way to do it.
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