854 Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (2001)

 854 Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (2001)


Studio Album - Pop Punk/Alternative Rock




About the Act:

Jimmy Eat World are an American band from Mesa Arizona, who started as a punk band in 1993 and expanded their sound to embrace more alternative rock and emo sounds. They have had a stable line-up, an impressive number of labels, and 10 studio albums.


About the Album:

This was the fourth album by the band, and their most commercially successful. They funded the recording themselves and then went looking for a label. 


My History with this Album:

None


Review:

Pop Punk has a rich history. If you know any of these acts, you might have an inkling about it: Garbage, Transvision Vamp, and the closest in sound to this album: No Doubt. It's kind of like punk sounds - fast and clipped, with overdriven guitar, and simple chord sequences, but the vocals are clear and intelligible, (and generally not too outrageous) and lots of compression is used to keep it all from being too punchy. Oh, and a high, ringy snare sound that seems to be one of the symptoms of punk.

This is like that, or at least you get the impression that that is the "home" mode of the band. The songs are the sort of songs that would make it into movie soundtracks, and onto video-game soundtracks (especially extreme sports games like Tony Hawks stuff). It has energy but is not anarchic. It is most beautifully produced, and there are some nice vocal harmonies at times. 

And then there are other songs that are not like that, which is where the Alternative Rock vibe takes over, slower, more emotive (generally) and all about texture. They are good at texture, and musically I like this album, quite a lot. Actually, let's nail my colours to the wall here, I like all of it a lot. Jimmy Eat World have passed me by in the past, but I could imagine myself listening to it in the early naughties. Its sound is very of that era, which is not a bad thing. 

Lyrically, there are some interesting tracks. I don't think I'm going to delve deeper than that. It is kind of easy to ignore the words at times, as you get caught up in the texture and feeling of the music, but I found some interesting stuff in there, some nice references to other stuff, some thoughtful moments, and variety.

The package as a whole is well-crafted. The variety, the order of the tracks takes you on an emotional journey, and the variety of production keeps it interesting. It works well as an album. It's pretty slick and doesn't pretend to be otherwise. For some reason I kept being reminded of Crowded House and Shakespeare's Sister, although mostly it id definitely more punky than either, I think for the richness and variety.

So, yes, I liked it. I would listen to it again, I might even seek it out. It impressed me and was a good listen.


7.6/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0UJhhj5bn5AGAjryFnhueP?highlight=spotify:track:61XspFITuKmAlYdQacNCbF

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG76g_Z2SsQNgq4CZm8-jms7-DQRmNad5

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleed_American



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001)

Image
 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots ...
Read more

840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Image
 840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990) Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop) About the Album: This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre. My History with this Album: None Review: There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact. I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop ...
Read more

843 Chambers Brothers - The Time has Come (1967)

Image
 843 Chambers Brothers - The Time has Come (1967) Studio Album - Psychedelic Soul About the Act: The Chambers Brothers are an American Psychedelic Soul band from LA, who were formed in 1954 and are still going. They were at heart four brothers, but I think they have now all left the band.  About the Album: This was their debut album (12 years on from forming as a band), and it spawned their most successful single Time Has Come Today. My History with this Album: None. I had never heard of the Chambers Brothers before this list. Review: I am not an American, nor a Social Historian, but I think I can accurately claim that in 1960s America there was a certain separation between the Black community and other communities. As a result of this, and for marketing reasons, the idea of music that was created with a Black audience in mind was an actual thing. I'm not sure if today we would be quite so sure about what constitutes "Black Music", but then, I think, they were generally q...
Read more