They're eating world alright (Bleed American - Jimmy Eat World)

Name: wicked_witch

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Product:	Bleed American - Jimmy Eat World
Date:	26/06/02 (141 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheese, amazing drumming, amazing vocals

Disadvantages: cheese, a bit squeaky clean and overproduced

In the old days, the emo-kids worshipped Jimmy Eat World as saviours. Now, of course, they have "sold-out" and the emo-kids won't touch them. This whole sellout thing confuses and irritates me, so I'm just going to say that I like Jimmy Eat World on the strength of their current album, imaginitively named "Jimmy Eat World" (Bleed American was scrapped because of Sept.11 issues), and I only got to know their old stuff (which is admittedly techinically better but the masses will definitely prefer this) through this, and its damn good!

Jimmy Eat World personify popular rock. The music is upbeat and anthemy with more power chords and cheesey schmaltzy vocals than you could shake an entire tree at. It is the ultimate feel-good album. From the grinding cool of "Salt Sweat Sugar" (more like the old stuff) to the uber-cheese of current single "Sweetness", this is the kind of music your either going to love to little Jimmy-shaped bits or hate from the very bottom of your (black) soul.

Yes its cheesey, at points the lyrics are verging on Bon-Joviesque (the moments when you just want to clap your hands over your ears and yell "Jim what have you DONE" and wish for the good old days when Jimmy Eat World were underground and cool) and you can see the dads bopping away to this kind of stuff, can see it being performed in stadiums.

Yet, bizarrely, despite my distaste for cheese, I don't want to hate this album, and after seeing JEW play live, I'm an avid believer in mainstream American radio rock. Kill me when I start talking about Third Eye Blind.

So, without further ado, here's a tracklist-

1. Salt Sweat Sugar. Originally the title track, labelled "Bleed American". An absolutely stomping opening track, a real sit up and take notice with rock hard riffs, it thunders away at a break-neck pace. Probably the hardest song on the album, and definitely the best
, its power-pop-punk at its finest (Did I just invent a new genre?). All in all, amazing guitars, soaring vocals, will have any self-respecting mini-mosher bouncing about like a, well, self-respecting mini-mosher.

2. Praise Chorus. One of the many cheesy, uplifting anthem tracks of the album, the lyrics are so cliched they're almost original ("Are you gonna live your life wondering, standing in the back, looking around" "Gotta make a move"). With the obligatory build-up bit ("I'm on my feet I'm on the floor I'm good to go) with chugging background guitars, building up to a deafening (if you play it loud enough to irritate the neighbours) guitary bit (to use the technical term). A nice, bouncy track that you don;t need to think too much about. Or at all. A great "theme song" (Ally McBeal style). They get bonus points for the "Our house in the middle of this street..." bit. Listen to it and you'll know what I mean. For some odd reason its a very likeable moment.

3. The Middle. One of the many cheesy, uplifting anthem...anyone else noticing a pattern? It opens with a squeaky clean bouncy guitar riff and once again the lyrics are incredibly cliched ("hey, don't write yourself off yet, its only in your head you feel left out" "do your best" "It just takes some time" and the uber-cliche "Everything will be all right"). But this one is better still. Much the same as the Praise Chorus really, except slightly harder and with the indescribable ability to have everyone from the Steps fan to the opera-listening to granny shouting out the shallow lyrics.

4. Your House. A nice change, a bouncy, soft acoustic track, with soft crooning from Jim. The sugar coated lyrics make this one another singalong. Basically your average love song sped up a little. Be ready to cringe when Jim starts wailing about "Lurve". Nevertheless, still a lovely
track, and the vocals add a little interest to a text-book song.

5. Sweetness. Oh dear lord (and I'm not even Christian). The cheesiest song on the album. Ah, smell the brie. Its so cheesey its almost revelling in its own cheese-factoryness (dig my invention of new words to suit my needs). Opens on a call and answer basis ("sing it back wooooooooooo....") this one is absolutely made for gigs, and having seen them live, this is one of the ones the crowd will always go absolutely nuts for. Another thundering track, it showcases the talents of the s**t-hot drummer (s'cuse my language). The great thing about this track is, it starts and stops, jolting about like your average jolty thing without ever losing its momentum. A very strong track in terms of catchiness and listenability from beginning to end, its very very easy and sweet on the ears. One gripe, they really should give the drummer more in the way of solos and challenges, because he is absolutely great!

6. Hear You me. A wandering, slow track, with Jim showing his ability to bring people to tears with his lovely voice. Makes a nice change of pace from the first five mental tracks on the album. There's some nice, well-placed use of percussion used in here too. The backing vocals are fairly ill-placed though, not only do they not fit very well, they detract from the lead voice, which is more than strong enough on its own.

7. If you don't don't. Another cheese-laden anthem track. Wow, talk about a repetitive album. "We once walked down on the beach, and once I almost touched you hand" That should give you a clue of the heights of cheese this track reaches. Still, strangely, another loveable bouncy track. I've said it before and will say it again, Jims voice really rocks. This one rocks a little softer than the others anthem-y tracks, and has the added advantage of a brilliant, buzzing solo, which isn't compilicated in any way, but is still v
ery nice to listen to. I love the line "I'm sorry that I'm such a mess, I drunk all of my liquor cabinet". Add a few points for that one!

8. Get it faster. Absolute blinder of a track here. A little edgier and darker than everything else on here. Starts out eerily slow with effects and a chugging riff, building into almost whispered, angelic vocals, then lurhces into loud rock oblivion. This one is moderately paced, with extremely strong vocals from Jim again. Slightly bizarre of lyrics, but then it makes a nice change from sugar-coated anthemic crooning. The rough harmonising guitars in this one make for an interesting and pretty damn great effect.

9. Cautioners. Opens with fantastic drumming with echoing effects, which are continued throughout the album. Another nice track, but to be honest there isn't anything special about this one, just soft on the ears and the brain in a typical Jimmy eat world'y way but without the usual special something.

10. Authority Song- A nice bouncy breather in between slowies. Moderately paced and superbly put together for dancing, this is another stomping song. Once again, the drummer is slightly more in focus, which is never ever a bad thing. The lyrics are pretty superficial if a bit odd, with the odd cliche thrown in. At points the track bogs itsself down a bit, and loses its pace, but it pretty much picks itsself up, dusts itsself off and continues to bop away like a teenybopper at a Britney concert.

11. My Sundown- Soft, slow sugar coated riffage again. This one is a bit of a downer, and as I've decided the job of my Jimmy Eat World album is to pull me out of a pit of gloom, I tend to skip this track. Despite that, its very good. its alternately depressing and uplifting. However, not a very impressive close to the album. Seeing as this band is bent on world domination, it would have made sense to finish on the same note as it started, loud, uplifitng and sugary.


So there you go. Sugary enough to have your hardened indie/emo kid turning their cute nose up at it (for some reason indie boys are always adorable) but poppy and fun enough to entertain the masses, it doesn't show any particularly brilliant lyrics or guitar playing (although the vocals and drums are very impressive) but has that annoying quality of being the perfect singalong album, summer album, festival band etc etc. Say goodbye to your roots and hello to world domination, Jimmy. But one more Bon Jovi noise and you've had it.

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