Invented [CD]

Chase This Light was a poppy, driving, urgent album. Invented is a much more subdued effort but actually much more worthy for it. The opener, 'Heart is Hard To Find' is an acoustic folk song, almost resembling a protest song and it is absolutely perfect. It's stripped down, raw and pasionate with that special JEW sparkle that takes the edge off. The first single, 'My Best Theory' is very good, quite catchy and is very inimitably JEW but is one of the less interesting tracks. 'Evidence' is a very subtle masterpiece. It's half way between a ballad and a faster track but has a chorus that at first seems tedious but soon grows into a monster. One of my favourite tracks. 'Higher Devotion' is an ok song, it's short and sweet but they have done far better. 'Movielike' is a new classic in my opinion. It's a very catchy little number that makes you happy, despite the lyrics being quite downbeat. 'Coffee & Cigarettes' is pretty good, very fuzzy and purposeful. 'Stop' is a difficult one but it gets better with further listens. As with the overall mood of the album, it's quite low key. 'Littlething' is another belter, albeit an understated one. 'Cut' is similar to 'Stop' but doesn't really end up anywhere very interesting. 'Action Needs an Audience' is really the only real heavy track. It's punky and a little dirty for JEW, a bit like their earlier material. But it's quite refreshing and very good. The title track is sublime. It's long but it's well worthy of the time. One of their best ballads - almost as good as '23' - almost. It finishes with 'Mixtape' which is another slow burner with another excellent chorus/chant/mantra etc.

An above average album, equal in quality to their previous 2 efforts but, as is their remit, completely different in tone.

Seems an obvious thing to say, but returning to the producer of their first three albums has resulted in album that has more in common with their earlier work than Futures or Chase This Light. The most obvious thing to my ears is the depth of instrumentation. Listening to this loud with earphones reveals that there is an awful lot going on in each track: female singers, strings, xylophones.

It's an older album in its feel to me. A good thing, since some of the lyrics on Futures sounded as if they were trying to speak (and failing) as if they were 15 years younger. So, here we have different situations explored from different viewpoints, the most obvious being the female point of view of Cut, but there are others where we have a character led song. By that I mean, it's an observation of someone. The singer is putting himself in someone else's shoes rather than simply singing about his own feelings.

The two 'epic' closing tracks: Invented and Mixtape will inevitably draw comparisons with closers like Goodbye Sky Harbour and justifiably so, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, either.

All in all, a return to form for me. I liked Chase This Light, but I like this a lot more.

There have been various negative comments made about "Invented", the latest album by the emo heavyweights Jimmy Eat World, by old school fans.

Why?

I cannot say, because I'm very pleased with this new release. More immediate than "Futures" less aggressively pop than "Chase This Light" and a darn side better than the majority of recent pop/rock releases by a nearly twenty-year-old band have been (see The Get Up Kids and Incubus for proof).

The last few years haven't been kind to rock music either. Nu-metal may now finally have had its day, but bands like YouMeAtSix, Kids In Glass Houses, All Time Low and recent Blink 182 have made it hard to appreciate the rock scene in the latter part of the 00's in general. Faux emotional singing, the same dull quiet/loud dynamic songwriting techniques. And a plethora of singers who all sound exactly the same (see the first three bands mentioned above to get my point)!

On the other hand, truly great albums by the likes of Lacuna Coil ("Shallow Life" was a fantastic modern radio-rock album, a real classic. Latest release "Dark Adrenaline" appears to be suffering the same fate commercially), The Juliana Theory ("Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat" was ten times better than anything My Chemical Romance has ever done, and had a real classic rock song in "Shotgun Serenade") and Thrice (see everything they have ever done) continue to get overlooked. Shame.

Its not all bad, Biffy Clyro have stormed the charts with wonderful rock music. Paramore have, in Hayley Williams, a likable and talented frontwoman to help raise their status in the game as real players for the title of this generations IT band. They aren't there yet, but are they are getting close.

So its surprising to note that Jimmy Eat World haven't tried to blend in. If they do blend in, its most likely because every other band tries to replicate the sound of 2001's awesome "Bleed American", not because of any issue of "selling out".

Instead, "Invented" is a wonderful collection of JEW anthems that keep their trademark sound intact, and at the same time still finding room to push themselves just a little.

Opener "Heart Is Hard To Find" is a folky number with a warm sound of handclaps resounding throughout the entire song. Perhaps the finest opening track on a JEW album in about 10 years.

"Evidence", "Coffee And Cigarettes", "Movielike" and "Littlething" are typical JEW rockers, but I cannot see a problem considering these songs are as great as anything from 1999's "Clarity" through to 2004's Futures", a wonderful era in the bands history.

"Action Needs An Audience" sees the return of Tom Linton on vocals, and its an album highlight. Spectacular, it sounds like a wonderful "Clarity" outtake, and was a highlight of their performance on last years support slot with Foo Fighters at Milton Keynes Bowl.

But the real treats are saved for last: "Invented" and "Mixtape" are stone-cold classics, but I fear they are overlooked because at this stage in the game, old-time JEW fans keep "Futures" close to their hearts. Although its true that album was a masterpiece, its very likely these two songs will be dismissed as a simple rehashing of old ideas (which isn't entirely true. They just play within their strengths, and push themselves to write the best tunes possible). Shame, as they are both worthy of an album purchase alone.

On the whole, this is a very nearly flawless record. Not every single track holds up as a great song, but not one track on "Invented" is any less than good.

And at this stage in the bands career, during a time when rock music seems to be reaching an All Time Low (excuse the pun) in terms of originality and personality, could anybody have asked for anything more?

4/5