If someone is a fan of early 90s emo bands like Texas is the Reason, Knapsack, Braid, Mineral, The Get Up Kids, etc., it's bizarre that they wouldn't give Static Prevails a shot. I'd lump that album right in there with those bands, even before Clarity. Thinking That's All, Rockstar, and What Would I Say To You Now are up there with my favorite Jimmy Eat World songs, especially WWISTYN
yeah, it's just a fucking great emo album. crunchy, driving, atmospheric, and full of heart. I don't know why anyone would exclude it. just goes to show they rip no matter what sound they go with
I have always preferred the first half of their discography over their later half, personally. Thank gosh downvotes don't exist on this site!
my rankings would be in line with mark hoppus': clarity, static prevails, futures, bleed american, etc.
Hard to say which half of their discogs is stronger but I do know that Clarity is in my top 2 of all time
STATIC PREVAILS CLARITY BLEED AMERICAN FUTURES STAY ON MY SIDE -- CHASE THIS LIGHT INVENTED DAMAGE INTEGRITY BLUES SURVIVING If the dividing line is the first 5 or the second 5, I'd say first 5. But I'd put SP as my least favorite of their albums, easily. If we start with the self titled, meh, and don't have the EP: SELF TITLED STATIC PREVAILS CLARITY BLEED AMERICAN FUTURES -- CHASE THIS LIGHT INVENTED DAMAGE INTEGRITY BLUES SURVIVING That's harder, cause those first two are pretty weak, but the next three are unreal good, and then the second half is all good to great, with two (CTL and IB) getting close to the highest highs, but maybe one slight lower tier. Ridiculous catalog. Ridiculous.
This morning, I'm listening to all the old Jimmy stuff. Old 7" splits, the Static Prevails demos, Singles, etc. So much good/overlooked stuff! I think I'm also going to listen to some of the old Jimmy Eat Pod episodes about some of these unreleased songs/demos and hear what kind of cool tidbits @David Parke has about these songs.
I'd love to see the Singles album added to streaming platforms - this thread is making me want to revisit 90s Jimmy a lot.
Totally agree, though throwing my hat in the ring to say Integrity Blues, for me, is absolutely in the top tier with Bleed American and Futures (and Clarity I suppose). Great band lol
It does feel like his most "theatrical" album in terms of vocal performance, but I love that about it. It sounds like he's experiencing the emotions as he sings rather than just remembering them. It helps that the production is so crisp that you can hear every little nuance (including the squeaks you're talking about). The bridge of "Carry You" is is a good example, his tone is doing so much storytelling on its own. And of course the bridge of "Dizzy" is the same way. It's also an underrated album lyrically. The chorus of "Carry You" hits so hard with barely any words, "Let It Happen" captures that specific relationship dynamic perfectly ("I must look like I'm running away to you at your faster pace" is an absolute gut-punch if you've ever experienced that), the bridge of "Electable" resonates as much as ever, etc. I know they've been writing amazing songs and lyrics forever, but for me Futures and CTL have a sort of yin and yang relationship that is tough to beat. I go for one or the other depending on my mood, but if I had to pick one to be with me forever it'd probably be CTL because of how bright and optimistic it skews.
serves me right not reading the video description. still. im sure theres another song about death somewhere in their discog? maybe? lol