album o' the day

Jimmy Eat World
"Clarity"
(Capitol)

This morning, I was standing at the bus stop watching the sun rise with "Table For Glasses," the opening track to Jimmy Eat World's third album "Clarity," blaring in my headphones. It was a very surreal (read: emo) moment.

Due to the success of their "Bleed American" record, many people have looked over this album, but it's constantly cited as one of the most influencial rock records of the 90's. At its core, it's very textured and complex, yet subtle.

"Table For Glasses'" low-key intro is light years different from the album's closer, "Goodbye Sky Harbor," which begins as a straight forward rock song and eventually morphs into a European dance track that ends at the 15 minute mark. "Crush" takes on a Jade Tree-esque pop-punk song, while "For Me This Is Heaven" is a song with a mixed message of sorts: is singer Jim Adkins lamenting on romance or death? But the song is clearly the highlight, as on the disc, the chorus is printed as a rhetorical question to the listener, "can you still feel the butterflies?"

I don't know what else to write about this record other than, if you haven't heard it yet, then there's something missing from your life, and for that, I am very sorry.

Stream "Clarity"