Chase This Light

 

So I was plesantly surprised when I checked my email, and found that the new Jimmy Eat World album had been released…It’s called “Chase This Light”, and though i’ve only had it for about 36 hours, it’s been on A list rotation! I’ve listened through the album about 3 or 4 times now, and it’s definitely a keeper!

I’m a big J.E.W. fan, and as such, i’m very biased when they have new material – i’ll pretty much love it, no matter what! But, putting my obvious leanings aside, i must say that it’s their best album to date. I bought “Futures” the day it was released in 2005, and I flew to Sydney, Australia (from Brisbane) to see them open for Green Day. It was, in my opinion, the album of 2005. But, with repeated listenes, one found themselves starting to mellow out excessivly by the end of the album. It might have been the Australian bonus tracks, but i think that the end of the album defeintely slowed right down.

So, with this in the front of my mind (Futures never goes far from my CD player), i was eager to see how the new album went. From the very first track (Big Casino, the first single), the album delievers all the J.E.W. licks and rhythms that you have come to love, but the lyrics have acheived another level of allusion and bittersweet meaning than pervious albums. The next thing that really stood out to me was the click/clap feature of Always Be. As always the album is a mix of instant enjoyment and slow-burners (I love “discovering” an album track, and they usually end up being the long term stayers), but by the time i got to the last track (not counting the bonus track), I was pleasantly surprised by the big sound. Like they actually read my mind, they finished the album with a bang!

I’ve spent the whole day playing the J.E.W. catalogue in reverse order (I’m just finishing Clarity, with Static Prevails warming up in the wings), and Chase This Light firmly belongs at the top of that long and impressive body of work.

~ by leutton on October 18, 2007.