Invented
Interscope Records
With Invented, Jimmy Eat World have won back my undivided attention. For some reason, Chase This Light fell a bit flat but this latest album takes on some of the vigorous and almost sinister tack that Futures took. There’s also some more expansion into the sounds explored with Stay On My Side Tonight.
Jimmy Eat World are a band that often kick off their albums with the most stunning of their material but Invented sees the band bury the gems within the body of the record. Heart Is Hard To Find is a pleasant opener and a great introduction track but it’s the thrilling riffs of the songs that follow which start to send chills down your spine in a way that only JEW can do. A pattern throughout seems to be the relative gentle pacing of verses played out against a more searing onslaught of riffs when bridges and choruses kick in. Evidence is the perfect example of this as the huge-sounding main riff bursts in with an overwhelming presence in between vocalist Jim Adkins’ perfectly pitched melodies. The production is punchy as ever, really bringing out these juxtapositions in dynamic.
Movielike has an anthemic feel with a lilting goodness that leads into a group “woah” vocal. Coffee And Cigarettes is a particular standout track and perfectly creates a nostalgic feel. It also employs the use of the boy/girl vocal which the band most heavily featured on their self-titled album. Action Needs An Audience features guitarist Tom Linton’s vocals in his most highlighted vocal presence since fan favourite Blister which appeared on the band’s 1999 album Clarity. And it’s sure to become another firm fan favourite. There are some epicly long tracks here with Invented (7 minutes) and Mixtape (6.5 minutes) rounding off the album. Some bands can’t get away with dragging a song out this long but hey, JEW wrote the epic 15 minute long Goodbye Sky Harbor and that’s a masterpiece of songwriting so they’ve certainly got the skills to pull it off.
All in all, there are really too many standout tracks to single them all out and that’s really the mark of a brilliant album. Jimmy Eat World have meshed together elements of all their albums throughout the years to create another outstanding collection of songs that fans will be putting on their stereo (or iPod) and singing along to for years to come. This is a band that have really solidified their reputation as accomplished songwriters whose songs mean so much to so many.
Winegums