Yeah this, CTL and Futures all interchange for my favorite record, depending on the day. Sure & Certain is one of the best songs of their career.
Chase This Light is the least consistent of the three in my opinion. Songs like Carry You and Dizzy are hugely under rated though.
I didn't like it too much at first, but it's a fine wine like every other damn album they release and now I think it's a top 3. The first half is so solid.
Ranking Jimmy's Eat World records is seemingly impossible. In general, my favorite one is whichever I happen to be listening to at the time, with Invented and CTL as the ones I listen to the most (and feel most strongly about, usually). You could talk me into those two, or Bleed/Futures/Integrity as their best work and I wouldn't put up much of an argument. I do think that 'You Are Free' could be the best song in JEW's catalog. That thing hits me emotionally every single time.
IB is definitely solidifying as my favorite release from these guys. It's as varied as Futures but has better songs overall and flows better front to back.
This is firmly third for me at the moment. But I'm 23 this year so Futures is about to hit its peak. And there's only so long I can keep pretending Dizzy makes up for the weak spots on Chase This Light.
Integrity Blues is right behind Futures for mu favorite from these guys. Both albums mean the world to me.
tbh every record since Clarity occupies a distinct space for me, each one about as important as the next. I have my favorites but I needed them all
It's a good album, but I wouldn't rank it higher than 4th or 5th in their discography. Definitely behind Futures, Clarity, and Bleed American. It's on about the same level as Chase This Light.
23 may be the peak, but that record is just as meaningful to me today as it was when I turned 23 5 years ago (tomorrow).
I was so happy when this topped the staff list last year. Such a great album. I don't know where it ranks for me, honestly I haven't thought about that much. This band has meant more than the world to me since high school, it's seriously a situation where I could throw on any of those albums and just listen to the whole thing front to back without hesitation or a single instance of wanting to switch over to something else. In that context, the fact that a new album gets added to that group every three years without fail is kind of incredible to me. I might put this fourth after Clarity, Futures, and Bleed American, but I don't know it's so hard to choose after the first two.
you're right, dizzy doesnt make up for the weak spots on chase this light because there are no weak spots
I've always found the section in the middle after Carry You and before the title track to be, not weak, but a little less memorable. I need to go back and listen to it though and it's been quite a long time since I listened to the whole thing.