Music Review"Bleed American"
Jimmy Eat World
Dreamworks Records
Entertainment value: A-
Long before bands like Sum 41 and American Hi-Fi existed, there was Jimmy Eat World. For those of you who haven't heard of Jimmy Eat World (J.E.W. for short), Tyler Parkinson, an online fan, called them "the thinking man's Blink 182." (J.E.W., by the way, is Blink member Tom Delonge's favorite band.) Formed in 1994 in their hometown of Mesa, Arizona, vocalist/guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind are clearly more mature than Blink (J.E.W.'s work contains no potty humor), and write song lyrics that are far more meaningful.
"Bleed American", Jimmy Eat World's fourth LP, is the epitome of the above qualities. The album also shows off the band's emotional and musical versatility. The polar opposites of hopelessness ("I could be so much more than this") and encouragement ("Do your best/Don't you worry what their bitter hearts are going to say") are mixed into the album. "Hear You Me" is an impressive tribute song dedicated to a deceased friend. Musically, the band constantly switches from sweet-and-slow ballads to fast-tempo rock songs.
Jimmy Eat World, like their current tourmates Weezer - another band with which J.E.W. is constantly compared - also have that gift of writing simple, infectious melodies that would make the Backstreet Boys or 'NSYNC pee in their pants. It's hard to believe that listeners of emo, an underground rock music genre characterized by its deeply personal lyrics, have enjoyed songs from bands like J.E.W. for years. Two of the catchiest songs are "Sweetness", marked by its Billy Joel-ish "whoas" combined with fast-paced guitar riffs; and "The Authority Song", which takes place at a '50's dance ("See what the jukebox knows/Put my last quarter on/I play 'Authority Song'").
"Bleed American"'s title track, catchy in an angst-ridden way, is J.E.W.'s screaming radio debut - literally screaming, for that is what Adkins does during the chorus and ending of the song. Radio stations nationwide, though, had to rename the single's somewhat offensive title to simply "American" after the September 11 attacks. But, as Adkins explains, the song isn't about what its title makes it out to be.
"'Bleed American' isn't about any one thing," Adkins said in the band's online biography on their website. "It's about a general dissatisfaction and a yearning for something more - not necessarily something material, but emotional. It describes a feeling that something's missing."
But the entire "Bleed American" album seems to have nothing missing at all. It is by far the best album Jimmy Eat World have made and the best that I've heard this year. It contains many emotions, different types of songs, irresistible catchiness, creative songwriting, and excellent musicianship. Plus, the lyrical quality marks the band's maturity - something that Blink 182 and Sum 41 won't have any time soon.
