::JIMMY EAT WORLD::

Jimmy Eat World (another band out of the great state of Arizona) has long been regarded as one of my favorite bands. From the first time I heard "The Middle" to submerging myself in the symphonic sound of "23", there's not one thing I don't love about these guys. Their live show is impeccable, every album is packed with amazing songs that seem to define the years between releases, and the musicianship of every member of the band is astounding. In this blog, I'm going to take my favorite two songs from every release (from Clarity to the present) and talk about the wonder that is Jimmy Eat World.

::CLARITY::


"Lucky Denver Mint": This song has been one of my favorite songs from Clarity since the first time I heard the CD. The lines "You're not bigger than this/Not better/Why can't you learn?" seemed to be stuck in my head for hours on end. The driving feel of the verses that bursts into the chorus seems to make you want to get up and dance...and if it doesn't make you want to dance, you certainly can't avoid singing along.

"Blister": With some of the better lyrics on the CD, lines such as "How long would it take me/To walk across the United States/All alone?/The West Coast has been traumatized/And I think I'm the only one/Still alive" and "I'm falling fast into this pit of fire which surrounds us all/In a blanket of fear that I've been wrapped in for years/Don't try and stop me/You can't stop me" highlight the song. The song, featuring lead vocals from guitarist Tom Linton, shows us the real talent of the often overlooked ex-frontman. On previous releases, Linton sang lead vocals on many of the songs, and with this song, we can see why.

::BLEED AMERICAN::

(retitled Jimmy Eat World after the 9/11 attacks, so as to avoid anti-American criticism)

"If You Don't, Don't": One of my favorite upbeat Jimmy Eat World songs on this release, "If You Don't, Don't" never leaves you without tapping your toe to the beat or singing along to the words. This song marks what I would describe as the pinnacle of the album. Placed in the middle of the album (track 7), it's easy to overlook the song, especially when surrounded by hits like "The Middle" and "Sweetness". Before the next time you skip the track and go straight to one of the singles, think twice...you may just be skipping one of the best tracks on the CD.

"My Sundown": The first time I heard this song, I almost skipped right on past it. The intro is a 20 second fade in of a reversed guitar sound, where then enters the soft acoustic sound kept throughout the song. This song remains one of my favorite Jimmy Eat World songs of all time, and I feel ready to explain why. The song itself builds upon itself, first adding drums, finger snaps, and bass, then a second guitar part, and the song continues in that fashion until the very end, adding bells, (wonderfully beautiful) backing vocals from Rachel Haden, and piano. The lyrics are one of the key reasons this song remains one of my favorites. With the honesty and hope of lines such as "I see it around me/I see it in everything/I could be so much more than this" and "I need you to show me the way from crazy/I want to be so much more than this", it's not hard to understand why this song is a favorite of mine. Last, but not least, we have the outro. The song finally resolves to the outro, where we fittingly find the lines "Good, goodbye/Lovely time/Good, goodbye/Tinsel shine/Good, goodbye/I'll be fine/Good, goodbye/Good, goodnight", and the song ends just as beautifully as it began.

(This CD is so full of great songs that I have to mention at least a couple more: "Cautioners" and "Your House" also find their way high in play counts on iTunes.)

::FUTURES::

"Kill": Another one of the seemingly popular "one word title" tracks on Futures, "Kill" has been (and probably always will be) one of my favorite Jimmy Eat World songs. I'm not sure if it's because I feel like a great deal of my life can relate to the lyrics or if I just wish that were the case, but at any rate, the lyrics of "Kill" are some of the most memorable I've seen Jim Adkins write. Rather than post my favorite lines (the whole song), you can read the lyrics here. If you either haven't heard this song or don't have it in your music library, I urge you to buy it (what's $.99 anyway?), download it, find it from a friend, anything.


"23": Though I generally dislike using this word to describe song (unless the name of your band is Dragonforce), this is one of the more "epic" songs of the Arizona quartet's. Featuring a full string section, wonderfully written guitar parts, and incredible harmonies, this song has repeatedly been repeated...whether it be on a drive late at night, at home, browsing the internet, etc., this song is one to remember. The lyrics seemingly plead with the listener, "You'll sit alone forever/If you wait for the right time/What are you hoping for?/I'm here, and now I'm ready/ Holding on tight/Don't give away the end/The one that stays mine", and with sincerity like that, you can't help but fall in love with the song. A few guitar solos and a repeat of the chorus later, we find ourselves at the end of this 7 minute adventure...and somehow, almost robotically, press repeat.

::CHASE THIS LIGHT::

"Chase This Light": The title track for the album doesn't leave you wanting anything more except for one thing: a few more minutes of the song. The meticulously crafted picking patterns, the perfect harmonies, and the beautiful imagery of the lyrics seem to work their way under your skin after one listen, and this track is an instant favorite. The peak of the lyrics comes toward the end of the song ("Confetti rainfall/And the quiet street/The beauty is in what you make it/So get up on your feet/Because tonight the world turned in me/Because right now, I don't dare breathe/Oh babe, I know/It's alive and somewhere for us to find tonight/Chase this light with me") and leave you feeling like you can take on the world...which, at the time, doesn't seem too farfetched.

"Dizzy": This track has a similar feel to "23" in a few aspects: it's the album closer of the 2007 release and has pleading, sincere lyrics ("Respectfully, some honesty I'm calling out/Do you hear this conversation we talk about?/Back away to the safety of a quiet house/If there's half a chance in this moment/When your eyes meet mine, we show it"). The song features a string section throughout a great deal of the song, a beautifully dissonant bridge, and showcases the talent of singer Jim Adkins. The song seems to be a soundtrack to anyone in question, an anthem for the brokenhearted. As is the case with many Jimmy Eat World songs, this song brilliantly takes the feelings of a single man and relates it to every person who listens.