Jimmy Eat World have found themselves in new company in the three-plus years it took them to release a follow-up to the tremendously successful "Bleed American" LP, renamed as a self-titled record after 9/11.
Judging from the lyrics on "Futures," vocalist/guitarist Jim Adkins is having a little trouble getting used to it.
Moving from the DIY royalty of 1996's "Static Prevails" and the shoe-gazing wonder of 1999's "Clarity," to the MTV-embraced, power-pop "Bleed American" was a stretch for many in the band's well established following.
Actually, stretch is an understatement. "Clarity" is roundly considered one of the finest records of its kind, along with Sunny Day Real Estate's "Diary." Two years afterward, "Bleed American" yielded not one, but three MTV videos, two of which, "The Middle" and "Sweetness," were TRL studs.
It's hard to be a pretentious scene kid when people who actually have real jobs are rubbing elbows with you at shows.
"Futures" is a good mix of "Clarity" and "Bleed American," and inasmuch the record the band needed to make. It has most of the elements that established "Clarity" as a staple on mix tapes while still including a few more-than-radio-ready numbers.
Eschewing the recent trend of ridiculously long song titles, "Futures" begins with the title track, which is reminiscent of "Opener," the band's offering on Deep Elm Records' 1997's "The Emo Diaries: Chapter One," with much, much better production.
That's what millions of dollars will do for you.
What is most remarkable about "Futures" is that the band hasn't mailed an MTV-ready record in for the big check. Sure, there is another Top 40 song in "The World You Love," but that wasn't even new on "Bleed American." "Clarity's" "Lucky Denver Mint" was an unrivaled success on Top 40 charts; it's just that no one knew, or cared, who Jimmy Eat World was.
Critics will point to "Futures's" numerous ballad-like songs as an indication of a "sell-out," but Jimmy Eat World has always been known for their remarkable slower-tempo, lush offerings. Both "23" and "Kill" are emotive, attention-demanding songs, the latter of two being one of the best tracks the band has ever penned - with a Heatmiser reference nonetheless. Rest in peace, Elliott Smith.
On "Drugs or Me," Adkins is up to his usual bread-and-butter: Making poor-reading lyrics sound wonderful. In the same way that clich?(c) doesn't matter if it's sincere, Adkins croons, "If only you could see the stranger next to me/ you promise/ you promise that you're done/ but I can't tell you from the drugs."
That's Jimmy Eat World in a capsule: One of the most creative, pop-oriented bands in the world making music worthy of a fulfilling meal or a regurgitated diner lunch.
And odds are, Adkins could make vomit sell 100,000 copies.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
