CD Review - Chase This Light
Maybe I should have seen this coming. For the past few months my attention on the music world has been solely devoted to looking up information on the new Jimmy Eat World CD and trying to find sites to listen to the CD as early as possible. Then, after finally getting the CD a few days ago, I was overly disappointed.
Maybe my problem is that I need to listen to this new sound longer, get used to it. Maybe I am putting the band too high and expect too much from them. But the conclusion I keep reaching is that Chase This Light is not a very good album and has the stink of a band that has sold out. That’s not to say there aren’t good songs, there are. But whereas Futures and Bleed American had little to no bad songs, this CD has plenty of repetitive and unappealing tracks.
Let’s start with the good. The first single, “Big Casino,” is a song that will grow on you and reminds of classic Jimmy Eat World. In addition, the third track, “Always Be,” is a terrific song that could easily have been on their two previous albums. To a certain extent, these songs, as well as one or two others, make up for the poorer ones.
But in the end, the amount of mediocre and bad songs far outweigh the good. The problem with songs like “Chase This Light” and “Dizzy” is that they lack a unique sound and that they don’t follow J.E.W.’s style. Typically, Jimmy finishes their CDs with a seven-minute ballad that is both powerful and emotional. “Dizzy,” clocking in at just over two minutes, is a far cry from “23″ and “My Sundown.”
Bands often lose their way when their popularity skyrockets. Some find their way back and others milk out their fame as much as they can until everyone hates them. I hope Jimmy Eat World fires Butch Vig, gets a producer that understands their style, and comes back better next time around. For now, I am just disappointed.
Grade - B- - There are good songs on this CD but not enough to impress me. When compared to older releases, this is just not what a fan should expect from Jimmy.
Filed under: Music Reviews
