Jimmy Eat World: A band you might know only for their big hit a few years ago, "The Middle". Still, you might know of them otherwise. In fact, you might even be a long time fan, because believe it or not, Jimmy Eat World's sixth studio album, "Chase This Light" has hit the airwaves.
While the upbeat emo band's last album "Futures" delved into some of the more melancholy subjects emo is familiar with, this album sees the band return to their true upbeat form. Just don't let any of the band members hear you throw the emo label at them. While Jimmy Eat World is infamously one of the genre's original hard-hitters, they try their best to live down the label.
This album has songs which contain lyrics with positive messages, though still full of emotion. The band even dares to be a little bit punkish with the political themed song "Electable (Give it Up)."
The album opens with "Big Casino", a quick, catchy song that gives you the flavor of the whole album in one taste. Yes, the rest of the songs follow in mostly the same manner, but at least it's a good direction for the band.
"Here It Goes" is notably the song that lingers the longest in your head after listening, probably because it is the most poppy of them all. Included in this song is a catchy chorus, samples of a crowd shouting/clapping to the beat, and lyrics such as "Cut it to the left and I rock... slide it to the right and I roll."
Creatively, "Gotta Be Somebody's Blues" is probably the most original and interesting song on the album. It's the only one that ventures off of the poppy hook-chorus path, and instead features dark, hushed vocals over the deep strumming of acoustic guitar and an added orchestra.
"Chase This Light" may not be the hit-single-rich album that "Bleed American" was, but it's still an honorable effort by Jimmy Eat World. They succeed at doing what they do best: making rocking tunes for the soft-hearted. Although the album could fall under the emo genre, it's still a far cry from "Fall Out Boy", and makes for an easy listen.
Without pouting or screaming about suicide, Jimmy Eat World is able to convey the complicated emotions surrounding subjects like trust, loss, and love in such a way that any one can relate.
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