2008 Woodie Awards
Sound Check
Jimmy Eat World's Futures
Richa Agarwal
Issue date: 1/28/05 Section: Arts & Features
- Page 1 of 1
Futures was an exciting discovery - though no Clarity. However, if you're a Jimmy Eat World fan, it's worth the reminiscence. This album has the capacity to grow on you, but there is something to be said for savoring the good in small doses. It seems, however, that pop culture completely ignored the release of this album back in October, though it's definitely worth mentioning. This may explain why I hadn't listened to this album until recently. Please pardon the delay.
"Night Drive" is one of my favorite tracks off the album, even with ultra-corny lyrics and the overwhelming feeling that Jim is back in high school and just got his driver's license. The band revisits their musical roots in their newest album, much more so than in Bleed American, a more upbeat album that loses some intricacies of instrumentation to the poppy feel of Adkins voice claiming "it just takes some time, little girl, you're in the middle ... " Come on. The album really took a dip lyrically in "The Middle." But Futures isn't much better in "Night Drive" as Adkins sings "Do you feel bad like I feel bad?" It's not Adkins longing to be kissed with cherry lipstick that makes this a makeout track - it's just something to the Clarity-esque sound of it, which alongside Death Cab's The Photo Album, are both musically make-love-to albums.
And though the band changed the title of Bleed American to Jimmy Eat World back in 2001 to avoid association with the September 11th events, they're ready to get political this time. Adkins sings "I always believed in futures/ I hope for better in November" in the opening of "Futures." Despite the well-timed mid-October release in '04, their political hopes did not seem to sway the public. But the song effectively serves as the album's title track, with an air of optimism for the future - "Things will look up, and they look up." The engineering of the song is wonderful as well, with upbeat rock and a breakdown of piano toward the end.
The album closes with another stand-out, "23," a track that brings us closer to Adkins' haunting inner thoughts: "I won't always love these selfish things / I won't always live / No, stop this ... " But it clearly brings the album full circle, as he states "You'll sit alone forever if you wait for the right time / What are you hoping for?"
At this point, we realize the album isn't commenting so cheerfully on the nature of the future as it would have seemed by the first track - but rather, it seems to be commenting on the dangers of relying on the future to work out the present. The album reflects on universal human emotions of hope and disappointment, pain and love. In "The World You Love" however, we get to sing along happily as Adkins asks us, "Don't it feel like sunshine after all?"
People who accuse Jimmy Eat World of "selling out" are clearly confused. They were always signed to a major record label. And seriously, Futures is some solid JEW (Jimmy Eat World) if you've ever been a fan. As a bonus, it seems as if the "make fun of the emo kid" phase is passing, so you're probably safe listening to this album without headphones - share the music love!
"Night Drive" is one of my favorite tracks off the album, even with ultra-corny lyrics and the overwhelming feeling that Jim is back in high school and just got his driver's license. The band revisits their musical roots in their newest album, much more so than in Bleed American, a more upbeat album that loses some intricacies of instrumentation to the poppy feel of Adkins voice claiming "it just takes some time, little girl, you're in the middle ... " Come on. The album really took a dip lyrically in "The Middle." But Futures isn't much better in "Night Drive" as Adkins sings "Do you feel bad like I feel bad?" It's not Adkins longing to be kissed with cherry lipstick that makes this a makeout track - it's just something to the Clarity-esque sound of it, which alongside Death Cab's The Photo Album, are both musically make-love-to albums.
And though the band changed the title of Bleed American to Jimmy Eat World back in 2001 to avoid association with the September 11th events, they're ready to get political this time. Adkins sings "I always believed in futures/ I hope for better in November" in the opening of "Futures." Despite the well-timed mid-October release in '04, their political hopes did not seem to sway the public. But the song effectively serves as the album's title track, with an air of optimism for the future - "Things will look up, and they look up." The engineering of the song is wonderful as well, with upbeat rock and a breakdown of piano toward the end.
The album closes with another stand-out, "23," a track that brings us closer to Adkins' haunting inner thoughts: "I won't always love these selfish things / I won't always live / No, stop this ... " But it clearly brings the album full circle, as he states "You'll sit alone forever if you wait for the right time / What are you hoping for?"
At this point, we realize the album isn't commenting so cheerfully on the nature of the future as it would have seemed by the first track - but rather, it seems to be commenting on the dangers of relying on the future to work out the present. The album reflects on universal human emotions of hope and disappointment, pain and love. In "The World You Love" however, we get to sing along happily as Adkins asks us, "Don't it feel like sunshine after all?"
People who accuse Jimmy Eat World of "selling out" are clearly confused. They were always signed to a major record label. And seriously, Futures is some solid JEW (Jimmy Eat World) if you've ever been a fan. As a bonus, it seems as if the "make fun of the emo kid" phase is passing, so you're probably safe listening to this album without headphones - share the music love!