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Over the course of the past several years, this foursome have made their mark through vivid emotion -- even though they'd prefer not to be tagged as "emo" -- and catchy choruses. Those elements are still in evidence on Futures, Jimmy Eat World's fourth full-length release, but they're joined by a jolting sense of confidence, both in frontman Jim Adkins's delivery and in some surprisingly fully realized big-rock arrangements. That combination is crucial in driving home the poignancy of the title track, on which Adkins's soaring vocals are matched by a stuttering, spacious rhythm that underscores the song's yearning. The band push things even further on the six-minute "Drugs or Me," which builds from a breathy, piano-kissed beginning to an atmosphere of woozy psychedelia that wouldn't be out of place on a vintage Pink Floyd album. Shot through with cinematic strings, "23" has a similarly ornate feel to it, but there are enough body-centric moments (not unlike Pornography-era Cure) to retain interest. A few of the disc's tracks -- the wide-eyed "Work," for instance -- stick to J.E.W.'s long-established formula of overlaying sensitive-guy finger-picking with a veneer of skater-guy attitude. But by disc's end, it's clear that Jimmy Eat World have no qualms about growing up and no desire to loll in rock's potentially endless adolescence.
CONDITION: NEW Marked UPC
TRACK LISTING
Disc 1
1. Futures
2. Just Tonight...
3. Work
4. Kill
5. The World You Love
6. Pain
7. Drugs or Me
8. Polaris
9. Nothingwrong
10. Night Drive
11. 23
Disc 2
1. Futures
2. Just Tonight
3. Work
4. Kill
5. The World You Love
6. Pain
7. Drugs or Me
8. Polaris
9. Nothingwrong
10. Night Drive
11. 23
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