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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good return, 22 Oct 2007
The problem with Jimmy Eat World is they seem to have said what it was they originally wanted to say a long time ago, and they know repeating themselves would be farcical. We have the perfect, perfect harmony of rawness and eye-twinkling splendour in Clarity, released back in 1998, one of the most perfect albums ever, and we have the immediacy of the well-polished and hard hitting Bleed American, from 2001. The problem is now that they have them out the way, everything they release is going to be an "almost there" or "nearly great" album, which is what Futures was. In some ways Chase This Light steamrolls its predecessor, and in some ways it is shockingly lacking.
It starts well with one of the most blinding tunes they've written since their old days, Big Casino. They sound, to be frank, like they've had a kick up the arse. Let it Happen and Always Be are reminiscent of what frequented the first half of Futures, good on their own but as album tracks not especially stand-out. Carry You reminds me of one of the more heartfelt tracks off Bleed American, but Electable is a pretty good, lively number which is simple but pretty effective. Gotta Be Somebody's Blues is also pretty damn good. Somewhere between Disintegration and 23, two of their best songs ever, but it's a shame it's not longer. The album lacks the longer songs that they used to execute to utter perfection. This is where the album shockingly lacks. It's good while it lasts, though. Feeling Lucky is another more motivated song, which I like. Again it's simple but the execution is spot-on. Here It Goes includes some interesting vocal styles and some changing dynamics, which, let's face it, is about as experimental as they get. I like it. The title-track seems to be a bit of a non-event in my opinion. After a few listens there doesn't seem to be too much about it. Again, Firefight sounds like something rehashed off the front end of Futures. Luckily Dizzy is a blinder. It works really well and I love it. They seem to be really good at writing sweeping, final tracks. At least some things remain.
The b-sides are okay, Distraction was good and the other one was less than impressive.
Overall then, it is a fairly solid, well written and well produced album. It's a good listen. But there is nothing here which is different enough to signal a significant step forward. They also take too long to produce forty minutes of music. They need to shake themselves up a bit and experiment. I liked a lot of their old songs like Just Watch the Fireworks, 23, Polaris, Robot Factory, If You Don't, Don't, Sweetness... all of which immediately hit you as being brilliant. That effect simply isn't here on this album. They got away with it this time and I like what I hear but next time they need to shake things up a bit.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Personally? Slightly disappointed, 26 Oct 2007
It's difficult admitting that you are slightly disappointed in the new album from our favourite band. "Jimmy" mean a lot to me, and personally I think some of their songs come as close to perfect rock as anything I've heard. Their trademark duelling guitars, intimate lyrics, and the ability to flit between full throttle sing-a-long rock-n-roll to so-gentle-it-hurts love ballads are all great reasons for this. It's also the clear the band is on an evolution, and all credit to them for this. "Clarity" is grungy, guitar driven album that shifts gears between guttural punky anthems and fragile longing; "Bleed American" is, and remains for me, an anthemic statement for post-9/11 rock-n-roll, full of hope and emotion; "Futures" was a darker creature, like "Bleed American's" evil twin, but still with that epic-intimate tension that makes Jimmy so note worthy.
And that brings us to "Chase This Light", which, frankly, is a surprising departure from where you might have predicted it would land. Instead of "darker than Futures" or "more pumping than Bleed American", what we find here is a distinct wildcard in Jimmy's career - an album layered with synthetic polish and pop music leanings. The lyrical content (as another reviewer noted) is still of evident quality, and on some songs the anthemic chorus' are out in force (Let It Happen, Electable, Firefight all being strong songs in this respect). However, and for me this is where it falls down, the album has been polished so highly that the rough edges that leant Jimmy that honesty, that intimacy, have been almost polished away. The slow songs on this album can feel bland and characterless - a massive departure from such classics as "For Me This Is Heaven" or "My Sundown". All in all it sounds more like a remix of a Jimmy album then their own material itself.
In summary, I'm not condemning the band for taking a new direction - nor is this necessarily "selling out" - however you should be aware that it is a big shift from their previous work, and may require more work from existing fans to dig through the layers of production to find Jimmy's artistic heart - which is what, in the end, I was listening for.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In form, 12 Oct 2007
With reference to their last album and not knowing much about their previous works, Futures was a fantastic and moving album and initial listenings of "Chase this light" strikes a chord with me. If Futures was in your CD album collection, then there's no doubt that the latest offering will become part of it.
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