Jimmy Eat World

Chase This Light

Written by: TL on 20/12/2007 01:11:27

The list of excuses for why I didn't write this review a long time ago is so long by now that I'm not even going to bother read it out for you. Suffice to say I've had somewhat important things hampering my ability to get it done, but I'm doing it now, so ladies and gents, sit back and let me fill you in about the latest album from the band people claim brought emo into the mainstream - namely Jimmy Eat World's "Chase This Light".

Now to be honest there's not that much to write about it really. From the previous release "Futures" and to this one, precious little has changed. The band has been quoted for saying that "We want to write catchy songs without insulting anyone's intelligence in the process". Well boys, mission accomplished. The new record opens with 5 tracks that are easily as good and catchy as the best ones from "Futures" and especially "Let It Happen" and "Electable (Give It Up)" impress, while "Big Casino" and "Carry You", while decent, will seem like vague echoes of "Sweetness" and "Your House" to older fans of the band. Songs like "Feeling Lucky" and "Here It Goes" seem to try to work the same formula that "Authority Song" did in its time but somehow they feel like a letdown after the more powerful upbeat tracks.

Now what there's far too little of on the new JEW record is the direction the band played with on their "Stay On My Side Tonight" EP. The EP was easily the band's most artistic release to date and sported a more progressive and thoughtful approach to the songwriting which added so much more depth to the bands music, and while the creeping "Gotta Be Somebody's Blues" sounds slightly like "Disintegration" it fades before it makes as good an impression. Along with "Dizzy" those are still the best ballads on the album though.

It seems to me that JEW is moving dangerously towards the situation present on the last Silverstein record. While the songs on the new album are all well and good, the lack of something new added to the mix makes you miss the old classics more than you appreciate the new ones. "Chase This Light" is by no means a bad listen, in fact it's all the opposite, but without the spark of "Clarity" and "Bleed American" and the consistency of "Futures" it's still the weakest JEW record to date.

Download: Let It Happen, Electable (Give It Up), Always Be
For the fans of: Death Cab For Cutie, Motion City Soundtrack, The All-American Rejects
Listen: MySpace

Release Date 16.10.07
Tiny Evil Records

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