Jimmy Eat World's power pop cuts to front of the line

I was standing in the music section of a Best Buy store the other day when I heard an irresistible new rock song playing over the PA system. When this happens to me I freak out and get frantic. It’s like passing a girl on the subway not knowing if you’ll ever run into her again. This might just be my new favorite song, but I need to get her name. When it happens I usually run around looking for a store employee to ask what song is playing. I’ll grab a pen and I’ll try to listen to the lyrics close enough to gather a snippet to plug into Google later. I’ve had this happen to me at coffee shops, at live shows when the soundboard guy is playing warm-up music, Hollister, even the Gap. When I hear something and it sounds great the first time I need to know what it is. If you’ve ever been with me you know I have a one-track mind. But I usually will get its name. I will get its digits. This particular song sounded like the The Killers or one of those really catchy new Christian rock songs that you wish weren’t Christian rock.

I got lucky this time as Best Buy radio came on the air and revealed the track as “Big Casino” by Jimmy Eat World. I immediately proceeded to the J section and grabbed their new disc Chase This Light. “Big Casino” is my kind of song from the signature guitar intro (you could put this one first on your mix CD right after the movie quite), the androgynous pretty vocal part Angels & Airwaves part Brandon Flowers. There was real pop sensibility to the glam guitar. This is my type of music. But “Big Casino” sounded like something, I couldn’t quite place it—but then it hit me. The story of “Big Casino” about the “New Jersey success story” sounds eerily familiar to ‘90s hit “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, but it’s in there.

I remember as a kid there were often situations where my two brothers and myself would all draw pictures or color the kids’ menu at the restaurant. We always asked my parents what the “best one” was. OF course they remained neutral always calling it a draw. That’s how I feel playing catch up on the blog this week. I had picked up three spankin’ new CDs. The plan was to mix genres and go from Jay-Z to VHS or Beta to Jimmy Eat World, which admittedly was pretty similar to Angels & Airwaves. Trouble was I wanted to listen to Jimmy Eat World. And I did. It quickly became my favorite, the teacher had a pet. It wasn’t a fair fight.

Randomly I just want to say I love CD stickers. I don’t know what it is, but I love all the multi colored shapes calling out the prices and the songs they think you’ll like. There’s something old school about it like the starburst graphic in PowerPoint. I just picture some rock guy saying to the band, “and then we’ll put a red circle here with “Big Casino” in it and wham, bam!” Good stuff.

Interesting that the sticker on Chase This Light called out 4 songs –and they just so happen to be the first 4 songs on the record. And they might have been right. Chase This Light starts in a three-point stance and really never slows down. The start explodes with “Big Casino,” and “Let It Happen” which adds a little more twinkle and head nod. Lyrics like “Could have been a night like any other one of us has to drive, one of us gets to think”—makes the music extremely accessible.

“Always Be” gets a little more girly—finger snaps and all. If there’s a knock on Jimmy Eat World it’s probably that Jim Adkin’s vocal is more delicate like Tim Booth from James –and whenever you call to mind the softer pop sensibility of “Breakfast of Tiffany’s” there’s a group of people who won’t engage. But for the girly boys like me Jimmy Eat World make damn fine music. It’s the stuff for the music video playing in your head and Chase This Light will have even married guys on their riding lawn mowers feeling like they were in high school again.

There’s a tremendous optimism to the pop rock of Jimmy Eat World. The music sounds like a sunrise. It sounds like something you and your girl could listen to. It sounds like bare feet on the dashboard with just a faint smell of Drakkar left over from the ‘80s.

“Carry You” adds more acoustic and maintains the love. On “Electable (Give it Up)” Jimmy Eat World take the sound to more black leather pants. The riffs are more Green Day and the “Oh oh oh oh oh” chorus is a joyous romp. Chase this Light is just damn fun and the whole album is this way. Makes me want to see a live show. My sense is Jimmy Eat World would shred as they may be at their apex like a Matchbox Twenty show back in 1997.

“Gotta be somebody’s blues” is more moody like “Bullet in the Blue Sky” with a whisper. It’s not my cup of tea but it’s not out of place. If this is the concert I’m reloading my beers during this one. And to be honest with the pace of the rest of the record you almost need the break.

The CD sticker missed one. I dare you to find a more infectious sing than “Here it Goes.” “Here it Goes” is like “Mr. Brightside” meets “The Electric Slide.” It’s absolutely fabulous. I can already see the pretty girls roller-skating to this one. Awesome stuff. It’s sound like “Here it Goes” and previously “The Middle” that make me think Jim Adkins has a real gift for melody in almost a Rob Thomas I write the songs that make the world sing type way. Downloard “Here it Goes.” If they made cotton candy Q-Tips this is what it would sound like.

The title track brings back the crescendo. Most of the songs on Chase this Light are built on glam guitar, sweet vocal and the Some Kind of Wonderful bang of Zach Lind on drums.

Another pocket rocket off the album is “Firefight.” Overall Jimmy Eat World brings a steady stream of upbeat melodic rock. I guess the fault of the record would be they tend to sound the same and maybe Adkin’s vocal will wear on you after a few spins but I doubt it. Jimmy Eat World’s new disc is one of the more satisfying music purchases I’ve made this year. And good enough to cut to the front of the line during a busy week.