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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mesa Arizona strikes again., October 25, 2004
First off, don't try comparing this album to their other works. They're completely different. If you absolutely adored Jim's happy crooning in Bleed American, this might be a little different than what you'd expected. The harmonics are still very evident. Jim's voice can now hit unimaginable heights. Don't expect the good times feeling you got from 'Authority Song', though, because JEW's new album has an evidently darker feel to it. The album doesn't hesitate, starting off with 'Futures', and a very addicting guitar riff that hooks you right in. Just Tonight takes you on a very energetic ride, with punk guitars that send you flying into Work, which is just as catchy and vulnerable to radio play as it is beautiful to listen to. Liz Phair apparently lent her vocals to this song, but it feels like she contributes nothing, as I wasn't aware, and still can't tell that she even sings throughout the song until I was informed of it. I miss Rachel Hayden! Kill provides even more powerful guitars backing harmonized vocals. The World You Love slants a little toward the pop side, with lyrics like 'I fall asleep with my friends around me/it's the only way that I feel safe' 'Don't it feel like sunshine after all?' Then Pain comes along, yes, that song you heard on the radio. Goes into a heartfelt song, Drugs Or Me, which leads in a bit slow, even more so than some of the songs on Bleed American. Polaris brings back some more shining guitars and crooning vocals, and Nothingwrong follows with that rockin' feel to it, with a riff that makes you want to bang your head...or at least mosh the guy next to you. But then the joy ends, with Night Drive hurling this horribly irritating high pitched yodeling that starts the song off, and reoccurs throughout many times more than it should. The rest of the song is fine, although very, very repetitive. '23' ends this album on a good note, the seven minute song offering cool instrumentals and Jim's usual heartfelt vocals that slowly wind this album down.
The demos provide a bit of alternative, almost like an alternate ending to a movie, except less crappy. In fact, not crappy at all. I liked demo version of pain even more than I like the final version of pain. Some of the demo versions didn't hold much difference from the final version, though, so most aren't that big of a shock.
There were few things that left me scratching my head throughout this album. Lyrics like 'Lay back baby and we'll do this right' sound like they belong in an N'Sync song. The dark sound that Jimmy Eat World produces was a slight shock after Bleed American. Perhaps they're desparately trying to detangle that dreaded 'E' word from their name. Dare I say it? No, noone likes being called emo. But come on, can you give us another Clarity? Pretty please?
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mindblowing x2, October 20, 2004
When I bought this I couldn't resist the urge to put the demo in first, I wanted to follow the evolution of the songs. I wasn't expecting much since it after all was a demo. Boy was I wrong, the demo completely blew me away. After hearing the demo I was thinking how in the world could they possibly improve this? But this is Jimmy Eat World we're talking about, (one of the most talented bands to ever come along) and they equally blew my mind with the original Futures as well.
Most bands couldn't take 5 years to make a cd that would even touch the quality of these songs. I can't even explain how good the music is, you just have to hear it for yourself. By all means this album is up to par with the rest of the Jimmy cataloge. You can't go wrong with any of their releases (I think everyone knows that by now). This is easily was one of the top 5 releases of the year, and well worth waiting 3 years for.
If you have a chance to get the deluxe edition by all means get it. I think I only paid 3 bucks more and it was well worth it, which is nothing compared to what some of these bands charge nowdays. And if you've never bought a JEW cd before, please ask yourself, "What am I doing with my life? Why am I wasting this beautiful gift of hearing?" Then slap yourself in the face because you deserve it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nothingwrong, January 20, 2005
Jimmy eat world returns with the rock you'd all expect to hear. That's not to say there aren't any quiet songs, there are. It's a very balanced album, I'd say half are loud and half are quiet.
The topics range from lost love, longing and drugs to selling out with many stops along the way.
Jimmy Eat World are not just "one trick ponies" either. There's the standard J.E.W. sound throughout but they're trying new things. The guitar riff in "Nothing Wrong" could easily be mistaken for Soundgarden. "23" could fool you into thinking you're listening to the Cure (until the singing starts). And I'm touched by the tip of the hat to Heatmiser in "Kill".
This is a very solid album and I've been listening to it for months now. It's still not getting old.
The bonus disc of demos is cool but not totally necessary. If you're a die hard fan or just interested in what songs sound like before they're recorded in a big studio, it's worth the extra few bucks. If you just want to get the meat and potatoes, go for the regular version.
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