Audiogalaxy 7.9.01
Jimmy Eat World Because They Care
by: David M.

    Jimmy Eat World nearly became another victim of the major-label hitmaking machine. Signed to Capitol in 1994 after putting out one record independently, it only took them two more albums to get dropped by said label. Though 1999's Clarity was a moderate success--garnering radio play, selling 30,000 units and landing a track on the "Never Been Kissed" soundtrack--an all-too predictable management shakeup left the band without a deal. "...tapped into the bittersweet side of life and love, creating highly emotional tunes with lush, deep arrangements."

    And thank god for that, because the layoff obviously did them some good. They hiked up their pants and recorded an album on their own, without a label staring over their shoulder. Bleed American was picked up by Dreamworks and the full-length is due for release on July 24th. From start to finish it shows a new, different, and (in my opinion) better Jimmy. Their two albums for Capitol showed a punk band unashamed of their poppier tendencies, but unwilling to go the Green Day route of mindless fun. Instead, Jimmy have always tapped into the bittersweet side of life and love, creating highly emotional tunes with lush, deep arrangements. Though the enticing pop of Clarity is far from forgotten, there's a lot more than that going on with Bleed American. Bleed American

    The blistering energy of the first single, also titled "Bleed American," shows the clear influence of angular, aggressive punk bands like At the Drive-In, Jawbreaker and Braid. "Cautioners" has the same ear-catching capacity, and shows that the band can both write good pop songs and do it in an interesting way. More than five minutes worth of pulsing drums and guitars, it is essentially electro-pop made with analog instruments. The combination of electronica's epic scope and rock's direct impact makes it a great soundtrack to driving home alone late at night.

    But most of Bleed American is masterful pop music-not pop music in its current incarnation of sugary-sweet arrangements and dance breaks, but in the organic tradition of the pop-rockers of the fifties and sixties. Songs range from bittersweet to truly heartbreaking, high-energy to melancholy: sweet vocal harmonies, tinkling piano, and nearly-orchestral guitar sounds make the tragic "Hear You Me" sound like the Beatles' most contemplative, reflective moments, while "If You Don't You Don't," with its chiming riffs and soaring lead vocals, has the urgency of a John Hughes flick, with similar tones of life-transformation.

    That's really what Jimmy Eat World have proven themselves best at over the years--crafting songs that help you see each moment as part of the grander scheme of things, just one step on a road that's got it's inevitable ups and downs. Maybe your girlfriend is leaving you, or maybe you're falling in love, or maybe your just enjoying a day at the lake-but with Jimmy Eat World floating through the air, it'll seem like nothing matters more than that place, that time, and that song.