Static Prevails - Jimmy Eat World (Capitol, 1996)
Into the month of August, I continued the nostalgia train by revisiting Jimmy Eat World's pre-Clarity material. Between that album and Static Prevails, these Arizona boys (well, men, now) had quite a run on Capitol Records (albeit short). Having started with Clarity back in early high school, I was pleasantly surprised by how fast and raw the songs on Static Prevails are. This is not the glossy, heavily orchestrated, ballad heavy emo pop record that Clarity is. Sure, a good portion of these songs can be considered pop songs, they're just heavier, which is pretty damn enticing. Jim Adkins' screaming on "Thinking, That's All" is a chilling touch, and the intensity of his vocals only let up a handful of times throughout the record. That the songwriting duties were split up on Static Prevails between Adkins and Tom Linton is sort of a bummer, as Linton's songs are not nearly as good (though, there are parts in "Seventeen" that are brilliant). "Claire" and "Digits" are outright highlights, and "In the Same Room" might just be Jimmy Eat World at their best. So emo, but so so good.
Top jams: "Thinking, That's All," "Claire," "Call It in the Air," "Seventeen," "Digits," "World is Static," "In the Same Room," "Anderson Mesa"
Before Bleed American, their ticket to the mainstream promised land, Jimmy Eat World released a collection of songs from 7"s and compilations released before and around Static Prevails, appropriately titled Singles. And, whoo boy, are there some gems. "Opener" absolutely should have been on Static Prevails. It is easily Tom Linton's best song, and "77 Satellites" is probably his second. "Spangle" is a very nice Wedding Present cover that I actually like much better than the original. The jagged rhythms of "What Would I Say to You Now" and "Christmas Card" and its emo dynamics have Jim Adkins and the rest of the band at the top of their game. They are two of the band's greatest jams and should have been included on a full length somewhere.
Top jams: "Opener," "77 Satellites," "What Would I Say to You Now," "Speed Read," "Spangle," "Ramina," "Christmas Card"
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