Futures [VINYL] [Import]

Jimmy Eat World's brand of punchy power pop is really something special these days. While I'm really enjoying the rise of all these arty indie rock type bands, like Wilco and Modest Mouse, sometimes I want to listen to something that's just catchy and fun, and with the exception of a handful of bands, there aren't many out there today doing that kind of thing that are really worth listening to. But, Jimmy Eat World is the perfect band for the occasion.

The most interesting thing about their music is that they can manage to be both sad and uplifting at the same time. A lot of their lyrics are rather depressing and melancholy, but the music is overall pretty upbeat, and doesn't really feel depressing. Jim Adkins apparently wants to share his thoughts and feelings, but he doesn't really want you to feel sorry for him, which I think is cool. That way, it never comes across as "whining", as is often the case with many bands in the "emo" style. Even when the lyrics aren't particularly cheery, the music still makes you feel good.

The album starts with the title track, a mid-paced rocker with big hooks, and a cool acoustic break. "Just Tonight" and "Pain" are faster-paced, with driving rhythms, and rousing choruses (the latter reminds me a bit of Thrice, but less metallic). "Work" and "Kill" are super-catchy melodic rock, and "Drugs or Me" and "23" are epic ballads, with huge arrangements. There's not a great deal of variety on this album, but the songwriting is strong enough to keep it interesting. The musicianship is excellent, with powerful melodic guitar hooks, and energetic drumming. Pretty much everything you could want in a straight-forward melodic rock album is here.

If you want something catchy and fun, with a great deal of songwriting talent, Jimmy Eat World is a can't-miss. Along with Green Day's "American Idiot", this is one of the best pop rock albums of the year (and look, you can get them both here for a great price). Buy today.

Ah,yes. Hello... If you are reading this review you chances are you already know how great this album is. If you've read my previous reviews you know I'm a bit long-winded so for those in a hurry, I give you this:

This IS the best album of the year. Hands down.

For everyone else: This record has a bit of something for everyone. The only CDs that even come close are How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2, The Used's In Love and Death and My Chemical Romance's Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. Now if you are a "Oohh, I absolutely love The Middle and Sweetness was sooo good" you should enjoy half of this album. Most notably: Pain (cuz MTV tells you to) and Futures. The harder-edged fans should also enjoy Pain, Just Tonight and Nothingwrong. The REAL JEW fans (you know who I'm talking about...) would never say they sold out for doing a "techno-pop" cover of Wham's "Last Christmas" and any and all nay-sayers should be tied up and forced to listen to Ashlee Simpson sans vocal track for the rest of eternity. Everything Jimmy & Co. have done they have done for a reason. Static Prevails showed frightening talent for a debut album, and Clarity showed the kind of growth and maturity you'd expect for them after they had conquered MTV not being ignored by them. Bleed American was of course their breakthrough album, probably because it showed they could be precise, intelligent pop with the same lyrical maturity as Clarity albeit not as "deep".

Futures however is essentially a bridge between their last two records. Taking the radio-friendly pop and turning up the (almost Tim Burton-like) darkness along with the most meaningful and important lyrics this side of the new millenium makes for the album of the year.

1.) FUTURES: The title track begins with a bang. Dear Lord, JEW has found THE guitar riff, arguably the best rock hook since Bleed American. The verses drive and the chorus soars (believe me a recurring theme throughout...), making this punchy anthem perfect for a generation stuck in a state of apathy. I'd also like to note here that by tuning down a half step they have made the guitars the perfect complement to Jim Adkins' voice.

2.) JUST TONIGHT: Fans of Get It Faster will enjoy the frenetic energy of this tight, little ditty. A song about lying to yourself in the name of lust features a guitar solo that rivals Faster's along with a jumpy piano piece playing behind. A very cool effect.

3.) WORK: Arguably the best song on the album, and probably the best single you'll ever hear this year features a boy-meets-girl premise with the all too familiar lets ditch the prom theme that effectively delivers so much you'd think they came up for the blueprint. Liz Phair's backing vocals complement Jim's nicely and also helps the song take an ethereal feel, also noticeable on the first opening bars of the song.

4.) KILL: Work and Kill are just effective a duo as Just Watch the Fireworks and For Me This is Heaven. The rolling bassline and interplaying guitar mesh nicely and the heartbreak pours out of Mr. Adkins in what may be their most personal song.

5.) THE WORLD YOU LOVE: In this song JEW has a story thats almost finished and all he needs is someone to tell it to. This is an incredibly uplifitng song with nothing special musically excceept that it will get inside your heart. Good song with a great message.

6.) PAIN: JEW fans around the world rejoiced as this song began to flood airwaves and MTV2 and for good reason. It's rare a song this hard is this catchy and they incorporate a kind of off the wall guitar solo with chugging verses and "hey mom, I kind scream too" (although real JEW fans know this was hardly their first time.) Wearing your heart on your sleeve never rocked so hard.

7.) DRUGS OR ME: This perfect power ballad also happens to be piano-driven and forces the song kind-of-under the radar until it's JEW with their foot on the gas as far as noise goes. Definitely, one of the few ballads ever the crescendos into one hell of a sonic boom.

8.) POLARIS: My personal favorite, this song brings so much to the table as far as lyrics and music are concerned. The bass is kinda creepy, defintely eerie as far as bass patterns go and you can tell Zach Lind (the drummer) had a blast with the rhythm parts. This is also the first time we hear Tom Linton's U2 inspired Edge impression over the chorus. The best lyrics on the album that will speak to anyone who has ever felt the joy and pain of love.

9.) Night Drive: Another epic ballad this time incorporating the eerie hook from Get It Faster this time talking about perhaps what happens at the end of Work. A great creepy epic song featuring na-na-na-nas and lush arrangements and a dark, sinister side of Adkins' voice seldom heard.

10.) Nothingwrong: A nice statement about the state of music and society that happens to be the hardest song on the album. Playing with the old-school call and response guitar system Linton & Adkins, armed with a nice delay pedal, send this song into overdrive doing their best Tom Morello and a badass breakdown.

11.) 23: Another seemingly U2 inspired track that talks about life after adolescence. They never condescending and never preach but let you know that there are things we should never take for granted . Also featuring a guitar riff that would make Eric Clapton proud, this is the perfect finish to a perfect album.

I've read some of the dare I say "ignorant" customer reviews calling Futures a mess and that is simply false. If you are tired of Good Charlotte and Simple Plan ruling the airwaves, do yourself a favor and pick up this CD. JEW doesn't get the respect they deserve so the least the music going public could do is treat themselves to a great album by the most under-rated band in America and perhaps the world(?).

Handling pain, troubled times, and pivotal relationships define our character, both individually, and as a nation. Jimmy Eat World's latest offering, "Futures," deals with these timeless and inescapable truths.

With "Futures," Jimmy Eat World has refined their sound by working in more intricately threaded vocal harmonies, better highlighting keyboards and chords, and bringing back the all-too-forgotten guitar solo.

Easily the band's most well rounded and best sounding release to date, "Futures," offers more than just radio-friendly tracks like the seemingly politically charged sing-a-long title track "Futures," the Weezer-like "Work," and the angst-tinged, anthemic instigators "Nothingwrong" and "Pain."

The most traditional sounding emo tracks on the album are the back-to-back "Kill" and "The World You Love." "Kill" sounds like the desperate diary entries from a semi-defeated, sweaty-palmed admirer set to music, while the carefree vocals on "The World You Love" come across as a triumphant anthem for the emotionally displaced.

The grungy yet upbeat "Just Tonight" sounds like the background music to an 80s workout tape while "Drugs or Me," which closely resembles the intro to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," could easily double as theme music for a drug intervention video.

But the most epic and emotionally gripping songs from this effort may be the longer tracks in which the band reveals their expanding guitar prowess.

With subdued vocals and U2-esque guitar, record standouts "Polaris" and "23" are ethereal gems that'll bring out the lighters, and quite possibly the waterworks.

"Night Drive" is an atmospheric commentary on just that, laced with fitting -and at times- Perry Farrell-like backing vocals and an overall surrealistic feel. Perfect for a cold moonlit drive down an unfamiliar road.

Once combined, these very unique songs make one superbly eclectic mix that will appeal to many different tastes while satisfy both longtime and newly founded fans.

"Futures" is an enveloping journey well worth the ride. So...get in.