Sometimes I think it must be tough to be Jimmy Eat World. Yeah, they’re one of the stalwarts of modern punk rock and elder statesmen of the emo craze. And they had some wider success on the Bleed American album. But despite a decade-plus career of great music, ask the average music listener about Jimmy Eat World and their response will likely begin and end with “The Middle”. That said, none of that seems to faze the band, who yesterday released Invented, their sixth studio album. Where 2007′s Chase This Light had the band seeing everything with gimlet eyes, Invented brings them back down to earth with a series of portraits of the everyday. The result is a strikingly earnest album that, while relatable, doesn’t go down as smoothly as previous efforts.
In album opener “Heart is Hard to Find”, Jimmy Eat World introduce a more mature sound than anything we’ve heard from them since Bleed American. With a string section backing the acoustic guitar and handclaps, the band creates a more dynamic sound without touching the volume dial. “Heart is Hard to Find” is in Jimmy Eat World’s wheelhouse, but it isn’t formulaic either. As expected, moments like these are where Invented truly shines. “Stop” hits all of the right emotional marks and has the fingerprints of early Jimmy Eat World all over it1, but fits in relatively well here. “Coffee and Cigarettes” is a celebration of youth and exuberance, and “Movielike” encapsulates the entire album beautifully. With its catchy chorus and colorful instrumentals, it is quite possibly one of the best songs Jimmy Eat World have ever written.
Lest they be accused of not advancing their sound enough, guitarist Tom Linton takes over lead singer duties late in the album with “Action Needs an Audience”. The heavier rocker sticks out a bit on the album, even when compared to single “My Best Theory” and “Higher Devotion”, both of which see Jimmy Eat World tiptoe onto the dancefloor. Either of these songs could do well in a remix. And lyrically Jim Adkins takes steps forward on Invented, using lyric to tell heartfelt stories in a way few punk songwriters can.
But as in their past albums, some moments on the album just fall flat. “Cut” doesn’t bring anything interesting to the table, and ends up just sounding average and forgettable. “Littlething” might sound like the soundtrack to a sentimental movie scene, but it doesn’t have the chorus to take it to the appropriate emotional heights. And then there are the last two tracks, which make for the last 13:38 of the album. Both the title track and “Mixtape”2 are solid songs that belong in every Jimmy Eat World live show. But at the same time, both could easily stand to lose 90 seconds and not hurt the songs.
In general, Invented doesn’t pack the punches that Bleed American or Chase This Light did. It’s a down-to-earth, thoughtful batch of songs, but emotionally it doesn’t branch out in the way it might. A solid addition to the band’s catalog, which really might be all they’re hoping for.
Final Score: 7.0/10
Jimmy Eat World – Coffee and Cigarettes [iTunes]
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1“Stop” was originally supposed to be on Chase This Light, but was left off and re-recorded for this album
2“Mixtape” was the song referred to as “Walk Away” in a previous post.
Filed under: Reviews Tagged: | Jimmy Eat World
I honestly can’t understand how you can call this album “ordinary” and praise Chase This Light the way you did. For me, CTL is easily JEW’s most bland album. Sure Invented is not risky as Linkin Park’s A Thousand Suns, but you can’t say they left their comfort zone on several songs, and it still came out great (unlike LP, for me).
I don’t think the album is ordinary; I think its a batch of decent-to-great songs that celebrate ordinary things. Sorry for any confusion.
As for CTL, I’ve always had a soft spot for that album. It might not do all the things Bleed American or Futures did, but it’s one that hit me a certain way at a certain point in time, which is why I praise it so much.