REVIEW: Invented By Jimmy Eat World

Jimmy Eat World
Invented
(Universal)
(out of 5)

Every one of us has two or three bands that saw us through our youth, allowing us to express what we couldn’t say or think in our developing minds; in essence, allowing us – through musical form – to understand whatever we were going through at the time. Jimmy Eat World were one of those bands for me. Clarity (1999) and Bleed American (2001) ring up distinct memories of snowboarding trips and high school parties, and both Futures (2004) and Chase This Light (2007) saw me through the free-wheeling insanity that was tertiary education. Their latest offering, and seventh studio album, Invented (2010), appears to be a culmination of everything that came before it, albeit from a perspective that is older and a bit wiser.

...Tonight I’m going to their first ever show in New Zealand. I can’t wait!

But enough about my life; Invented is a record that holds its own – Jimmy Eat World still have it, and their musicianship is more polished, and song writing just as poignant as ever. Through, 'Heart Is Hard To Find', the record kicks off with sweeping acoustic guitars, handclaps and foot stomps, roaring into an uplifting string arrangement. It’s a far cry from the simplicity of the band’s earlier work, and though the heavy production somewhat threatens the artistry at times, the emotive storytelling pulls the music back to what Jimmy Eat World know best. The band have been regularly touted as ‘the kings of emo’, and the lyricism here shows no sign of letting go of the heartstrings.

'Stop' bemoans the walls girls put up to protect themselves (“if you’re as tough as your defences you’d let them fall”), where 'Evidence' is pure romance, revealing what it’s like when a girl actually trusts you (“I earned to lie by you when you fall asleep”). There is nothing more beautiful than the vulnerability of the girl who has let you in, and both tracks bring out the fact perfectly. The twinkling pop-ditty, 'Littlething', hides “the quiet dream (the boy is) not supposed to think”, and title track, 'Invented', dwells in the quiet knowledge of how his girl really feels (“any dick can roll up in a suit/but only I would know what really moves you”) NOTE TO AGING SINGLE MEN: the way to a girl’s heart is not through your wallet; it is through knowing her – there’s a good reason why you’re old and single!

It’s not all gooey-eyed day dreams, however. 'Higher Devotion' serves the tension evident in a dying and/or emotionally void relationship (“I’m tired of all the war you bring home”). There is no intuition, empathy or understanding here. The boy asks his girl to “show (him) (she) can read (his) mind”, but to no avail. 'Movielike' reiterates this heart-wrecking theme, suggesting that the traditional fairytale portrayed by Hollywood is actually “nothing magic”, and only through film “have you seen the best already”.

Jimmy Eat World - My Best Theory

The band have perfected the art of the love-rock ballad. 'Coffee and Cigarettes' tells the tale of a young man leaving home in search of life and love, and the girl who finds both – if only briefly. The nostalgic tale paints a stunning take on the journey-to-manhood-via-a-heartbreak-or-two that every boy must go through, and ends on the happiest of endings, stating emphatically that “of all the things I think I’ll miss/is staying up with you – ‘Coffee and Cigarettes’ (a great film; you should check it out!)”. The memories leave a mark – and that’s “as simple as it gets”.

Final track, 'Mixtape', illustrates the metaphor of life-as-mix-cassette; a collection of songs which are merely “simple words connecting thought/just pieces of the background ‘till they’re gone”, which is an apt description of the band’s latest offering. In the track, the boy clings on to measly scraps of hope, desperately telling the girl (or himself) that “you don’t get to walk away now”. But there they go, fading into the sunset.

Invented finishes in exactly the same way, with massive synth melodies, xylophones and layered vocals providing the big sad ending required of any emo record worth its weight. As stated earlier, Jimmy Eat World are up to the same old tricks – just with a bit more maturity, having created a record that will grow with every listen and each new ghost.

Written by Theo Sangster.