Most of us JEW fans have been waiting eagerly for their next release, following the wonderful album Chase This Light, for three years now. There have been reviews for Chase This Light and Invented that point out how their music has changed significantly since their previous, defining albums, Static Prevails, Clarity, Bleed American, and Futures. Well, yes and no. Yes, the instrumentals in Chase This Light and Invented do take on a more heavy drum and guitar input than in the past, which may seem to diminish the deeper parts of the song that come from the lyrics and Jim's vocals. However, it would be unfair and unreasonable to expect JEW to be releasing albums, a decade later, that exactly mimic their earlier releases. That's just not possible. Don't we all progress and change as people? JEW's no different. Another main point is that, if you listen to Invented more closely, you'll find that there subtle resemblances to much of their previous work.
All the tracks will eventually have its unique feel and meaning, but here are some noteworthy ones that I especially loved:
Track 4) Higher Devotion: Heavy guitar, fast-paced...kind of like Nothing Wrong from Futures.
Track 7) Stop: Classic JEW feel and instrumental. While the song is excellent, the demo version is even more incredible. Check it out from Youtube.
Track 8) Littlething: Distinct piano play throughout entire song, sad feel resonates from the hook...kind of like Kill from Futures.
Track 9) Cut: Slow intro and gradually builds up, including acoustic guitar and resonating drums...kind of like Disintegration from Stay on My Side Tonight.
Track 11) Acoustic-like song, with clean guitar note, and soothing voice of Courtney Marie Andrews...kind of like Table for Glasses from Clarity.
Track 12): Drums intro, slow build-up, then subtle piano...kind of like Shame from Jap and UK import of Futures.
In summary, if you're looking for music that's orders of magnitude more meaningful than the garbage that's out there right now, look no further than Jimmy Eat World's records, including Invented. A legendary band in my eyes and many others.