Radio Undercover 7.25.01
Jimmy Eat World are the next big American rock band. They have all the ingredients for crossing over to mass America and enough international appeal to rock international territories such as Australia and New Zealand.
J.E.W. work on a number of levels. Their songs sound great on a highway, you can just hear them behind "that crucial scene" of a teen flick and the stripped down guitar, bass and drums means they are at home equally playing live on a pub stage or an arena.
What we have here is an album on teen anthems. "I'm not alone cause the TV's on" is the opening line from the album, the title track starting with a statement unto itself. 'Bleed American' the song has loosly been termed punk, but it's that brand of well worn punk that really is today's rock and roll.
'A Praise Chorus' makes you want to move with it's borrowed phrase from Tommy James 'Crimson and Clover'.
This is the band's first true international release, although they had some earlier albums on Capitol. Listening to the start of Bleed American you can here that this is a band who have already paid their dues.
This album is as "tight as a fish's arse" (if you'll pardon the quaint Aussie expression). 'The Middle' is damn hard not to sing along too with it's "everything everything will be just fine, everything everything will be alright".
What's really pleasing to hear is the diversity the album moves to by track 4 'Your House'. This is not a formula band and I really like the Nirvana like angst we find when the opening lines of 'Sweetness' come out the speaker.
Jimmy Eat World is a band with hidden talents. Another one surfaces on "Hear You Me", the album's sombre moment, but JEW prove they can tackle a ballad with the same sincerity as their hardest tracks.
An album highlight is 'If You Don't, Don't' another driving rock track. We are more than half way through the album and there hasn't been a dull moment yet. I'm hearing longevity with this band and one of those occasional releases that maintains a lifespan on the chart due to the timebomb singles that can only enhance the profile over time.
'Get It Faster' is another left turn with a ticking clock and Indian drum beat intro leading into an album Cars-like guitar riff before the song explodes back to JEW rock midway through.
'Cautioners' is from the quieter end of the repitoire with an Edge U2 like guitar directing us through the ode to a relationship breaking down.
We are back and rocking with 'The Authority Song' but no points for originality here. No doubt John Mellencamp's 'Authority Song' is not that all unfamiliar to JEW (mind you, it would be to most of their fans so they'll get away with it).
'My Sundown' is almost like the albums encore. The sedate moment closes off a very impressive and strong album, and I wouldn't be surprised if it gets the occasional encore placement occasionally at the live gig.
What's great about JEW is that their is absolutely no record company hype attached to this release. When this one starts charting, they should take a bow because the success will be 100% based on the quality of these songs.
by: Hector The Rock Dog