 Jimmy
Eat World
"Futures" CD
Interscope
Records
Genres: alternative rock, rock
Interscope Records
2220 Colorado Ave
Santa Monica, CA
90404
Dec 6 - 12 2004 |
I'll admit it: I liked "Bleed American." It was
catchy. The urgent, intense delivery was very effective in
making it a brief "alt rock" hit awhile ago, though
its simple melody diminished its longetivity.
"Bleed American" was basically my only frame of reference
coming into Futures, so I was expecting an album filled with
strong, drivingly melodic songs from Jimmy Eat World. And
upon first listen, I didn't really get what I expected. Futures
is a standard alternative rock album, and it sounds a lot like what
you hear on alt radio (stations with names like "Edge" and
"Buzz" and "Thrust"). It is melodic, for sure, but
it has a sort of uncreative flare, repeatedly pitting yelled/whined vocals
against loud guitars and all-too-familiar hooks. It definitely
holds mainstream potential, but the more experienced listener will
likely have to brave a few listens before becoming particularly impressed with
the songs.
The title-track is one of the main attractions here, and it
definitely has an infectious appeal to it. It is based on a
juicy power-pop melody and serious, one-liner driven lyrics ("the
past is told by those who win," etc). Other standout songs
are the dark and brooding "Night Drive," which ranks among
alt rock's upper echelon, and "Pain," an urgent, rushing
rock song not far off from "Bleed American" (think Rival
Schools, Trail of Dead). Ultimately, all of these
songs have the necessary pop hooks to get stuck in your head, and if
you don't mind the homogeneity of the genre, they'll make for an
excellent diversion.
82%
Fun Fact: Jimmy Eat World frontman Jim
Adkins has stated that the album's title-track is about the
American President. From an MTV interview: "The song is about George W.
Bush, yeah. It's about being dissatisfied with how things are going
and about greed taking over."
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
11 tracks, distributed everywhere, released 2004] |
