Jimmy Eat World - Clarity (1999)
Summertime, with all of its crazy weather patterns, is moving into north Texas. Therefore, my craving for Jimmy Eat World's third album, Clarity, has increased substantially. This band has always provided the music-listening public with quality pop rock that is consistently a notch or two above that of their contemporaries. I, along with most I would presume, first heard the band on huge radio singles "The Middle" and "Sweetness" from the Bleed American album. The unbelievably catchy and energetic hooks were enough to draw attention from fans of many different genres. As a result, I became a casual admirer of the group at that point.
A few years later, as my obsession for quality tuneage began to grow exponentially, I heard about Clarity on an internet message board. The praise I was reading simply merited a blind run-through. Instantly, I was blown away by the power and passion of the record. Despite its easily digestible song structures, I realized immediately that there was something extra here, something that would stick around indefinitely.
It's obviously not as crisply produced and radio-friendly as later offerings from this band would prove to be, but that's part of what endears it to me so strongly. This thing still sparkles in all the right ways, but you can hear the subtle nuances of a band, for lack of a better term, playing music. For example, the amazing opener, "Table For Glasses," demonstrates a simple drum pattern that plods forward beneath crystalline guitar arpeggios before crashing into an angelic pinnacle. All the while, the layered vocals don't release at the same time on the word "fast," and I love that about the song. The imperfections on Clarity truly add to its enduring character.
On the next few tracks, you can almost hear the popular "emo" bands of the early 2000's being inspired and influenced simultaneously. A chilling ballad called "12.23.95" fits amazingly well into a release that feels so summery otherwise and has become a staple of every Christmas mix I've made over the past few years. Other standouts include the breathtaking "For Me This Is Heaven," the highway road essential "Blister," and the incredible (albeit, long) closer, "Goodbye Sky Harbour."
It's a little disconcerting to know that after this release, Jimmy Eat World was released from their label. Clearly though, that would not impede the band's locomotive of progress. This is my favorite in the catalog, but I also admire everything they have put out since. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys the massively appealing anthems of Jimmy Eat World, but doesn't mind a little edgy sentiment and frenzy in their music.
It's a little disconcerting to know that after this release, Jimmy Eat World was released from their label. Clearly though, that would not impede the band's locomotive of progress. This is my favorite in the catalog, but I also admire everything they have put out since. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys the massively appealing anthems of Jimmy Eat World, but doesn't mind a little edgy sentiment and frenzy in their music.
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