Review: Jimmy Eat World - Futures

I know I'm not punk, at least according to the e-mails I get, so I know I have nothing to lose if I say Jimmy Eat World is one of the most powerfully melodic bands I've come across. I heard once that Dead Kennedy records are really Mel Torme at 3.27 times original speed. That said, Jimmy Eat World come up with nice melodies seemingly in their sleep. I'm a bigger fan of Bleed American, but Futures makes up for a few commercial concessions with enough melody and flair to satisfy all my faux-punk desires.

I'm too lazy to do a side-by-side comparison but I think Bleed American is generally faster and harder. Futures has more slow teen angst anthems so teenage girls can wave lighters over their heads at shows. I've never seen The O.C. but I know having a song featured on it can generate buzz and move units. I'm just guessing but I'll bet Jimmy Eat World rule the wasteland of the O.C.

I like fast songs (as long as they're not too fast or loud!) so "Just Tonight..." and "Pain" are my favorites. The stardard pace is mid but Jimmy never gets boring. There's soaring guitars, vocal harmonies and nice melodies all around. Not melodies, I mean riffs, man.

The lyrics are very emotional and poetic. Jimmy Eat World are like, Emoetic!

"Drugs" reminds me of Pink Floyd. "Nothingwrong" is Jimmy as a hair band, as far as that goes. By track 10 of 11 the mid-paced anthems seemed like one too many, so I lost interest and practiced the sullen/slouch combo I like to use at the mall. I liked Futures maybe more than I should. I'd like to punk up maybe 10-15% by new years. Any and all recommendations would be greatly appreciated.