After three years of silence, Jimmy Eat World is back.
Delivering a mixture of three-minute radio-friendly tunes and
graceful piano-driven tracks, Jimmy Eat World’s got it down to a
science with their new album “Futures”–and the formula works.

Jimmy Eat World emerged from Arizona in 1996 with “Static
Prevails” and outdid themselves with a little masterpiece called
“Clarity,” finally bleeding into the mainstream with the breakout
success of “Bleed American” three years ago (later re-titled “Jimmy
Eat World” after the Sept. 11 tragedy).

“Futures” has the depth of “Clarity” and the hooks of “Bleed
American,” two aspects that come together seamlessly; but in this
marriage, the strength of each element is diminished, something
that will be immediately apparent to those who are familiar with
the band’s previous work.

As the title suggests, the album is laden with optimism, as the
band sings about departures, independence and new beginnings. The
title track, “Futures,” begins the album with this hopeful spirit:
“I always could count on futures / that things will look up / and
they look up.”

“Just Tonight” is, of course, a song about a one-night stand,
and the seething guitar riffs complement the darkness of the
lyrics. The repetition of “I taste you all over my teeth” almost
tastes like lingering regret.

“Work” springs off of “Just Tonight” like a post-prom party:
“The best djs are saving their slowest song for last / when the
dance is through it’s me and you / come on, would it really be so
bad?” Moms warn their daughters about boys like these, and there’s
nothing kids relish more than the act of disobeying.

“The World You Love,” one of the catchiest songs on “Futures,”
reflects upon the idea of home as it exists among one’s friends.
The song’s placement in the middle of the track listing is no
mistake, as it contributes to the build-up toward the apex of the
album–and the first single–“Pain.”

Substantially darker than the other songs, “Pain” comes off as
the strongest, built with solid lyrics and a similarly impenetrable
wall of guitars.

The latter half of “Futures” slows down considerably, but it
doesn’t get any quieter. “Night Drive” is the album’s power
ballad.

Despite a handful of juvenile one-liners marring the lyrical
surface of the track (“lay back baby and we’ll do this right /
there are blankets in the back we can use”), the song is a reminder
that few artists in the mainstream capture the commensurate
elements of love and lust in young relationships quite like Jimmy
Eat World.

The mastery with which Jimmy Eat World sings about teenage angst
would be laudable if it weren’t for the fact that the band’s
members are actually pushing 30–in this sense, all the talk about
the prom seems incongruous.

As Jimmy Eat World grows older, their fans grow with them;
thusly, those who fell in love with “Clarity” might find themselves
past “Futures” in terms of their emotional development.

The lyrics to a handful of the album’s tracks are so deeply
enshrined in the days of our youth that, despite their apparent
truths, they lack resonance as soon as they leave the high school
gymnasium.

On “The World You Love,” lead singer-guitarist Jim Adkins
proclaims his love for the ordinary; and, if it’s one thing that
Jimmy Eat World has mastered, it’s the standardization of dorm-room
rock songs and backseat love ballads.

“Futures” isn’t their finest, but that doesn’t make the album
any less enjoyable. Jimmy Eat World didn’t take any risks with
their newest release, but they won’t soon be making any enemies,
either.

Recommended if you like: Jets to Brazil, the Get Up Kids,
Something Corporate