I'd say Here It Goes, Always Be, and Carry You aren't far from the best on Futures. It is true though that the Futures highlights are insane.
Dizzy is my favourite of theirs. I think my top three on Futures would probably match my top three on CTL but when comparing the rest of the songs CTL wins easily.
Someone mentioned in here earlier that with most bands, they have to worry, "Will this album be good?" but Jimmy Eat World is the only band to make an exception. I wholeheartedly agree. This band has consistently released a fantastic, borderline flawless album every 3 years since the 90s. With bands like blink-182, Moose Blood, Turnover, or even rap/rnb artists, I'm always concerned on whether or not it'll be good. Jimmy Eat World has a quality to them that is just simply above the rest. Some seriously talented and underrated musicians. The selfish part of me is glad that they aren't huge like they once were. I feel like they could be if they wanted to, but they're not. Its like this hidden treasure of a band I have that a lot of people seem to overlook, and I'm kind of thankful for that. Even the subreddit is docile compared to, say, /r/blink182. This band has a great fanbase. We are all here to appreciate the band, not cook up senseless drama all the time or create arguments out of thin air. Going from listening to Jimmy Eat World and then putting on a Kerrang band album (bands like Bring Me the Horizon or Real Friends) is almost jarring. There's just this quality that isn't there. Pop Punk/Alt Rock has been playing it way too safe lately to the point where I can actually predict the next note/chord progression (and sometimes lyrics) of every new song in that genre I hear. Its never that case with JEW. Its a similar thing with Brand New but I'll save that for a later time in a separate thread, haha. They constantly refresh themselves and are never predictable. When I heard Futures for the first time I would have never thought that it would be proceeded by Chase This Light. I don't think I'll ever not like this band. I'll be breaking my hip to "Just Tonight" when I'm in my 60s. Sorry for the long post, I'm full of a pumpkin spice latte and I have a lot of time to kill before my economics class.
I listened to Clarity again last night for the first time in a long time, and it's a lot better than I remember. Was the production on that album on purpose though, or was that just a reflection of it being 1999 and the label they were on? The drums and vocals on some tracks are so damn muddy.
I've never felt the they were muddy, but maybe if I listen for it I'd notice that. I know that it was recorded analog so that could be a contributing factor. I have always loved the way that record sounds
I tend to do this thing with some artists/bands where I listen a lot to the "consensus" favorite albums that are most popular/well-regarded, but then forget to dig deeper... I really got into JEW a year or two ago with Clarity, Bleed American, & Futures, but realized now as I was spinning Futures yet again that I still haven't listened to the post-Futures albums in full. Changing that today and over the next couple days in between classes and homework... I love the albums I have heard by this band, and I'm sure I'll love all their most recent work, they seem to be very consistent.
Just listened to that album this morning on a walk, loved it. At this point it's probably my 2nd favorite behind Futures. Big Casino, Somebody's Blues, the title track, Here It Goes, Dizzy... top tier JEW songs.
After hearing these two new tracks, particularly "Sure and Certain", I feel myself about to go into a pretty serious Jimmy Eat World kick for the first time in probably 6 years. Reading some people speak so highly of Invented makes me want to revisit that one in particular. I feel that in 2010 it didn't quite line up with what I was listening to at the time and I didn't spend nearly as much time with it as their earlier records.
Guys, leaks were true. Tracklist, album art, and preorder on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J979050/?tag=absolutepunk-20 Edit: Looks like the song "My Enemy" that comes with the leaked Sure and Certain vinyl is indeed a b-side
I think this is a page or two back, or maybe just in the album thread. I'd bet they'll be announcing these details and possible a tour tomorrow.
Mixtape has been my jam for the last week or so. Invented is such a great record. It took be some time to get into but I think I enjoy it more than Chase This Light (even though Dizzy is probably a top 2 or 3 JEW song for me). Nothing will ever top Futures and Bleed American though.