Clarity (Jimmy Eat World album)

Clarity (Jimmy Eat World album)
Clarity
Studio album by Jimmy Eat World
Released February 23, 1999 (1999-02-23)
Recorded 1998—1999 at Sound City and Clear Lake Audio, Los Angeles, California
Genre Alternative rock, emo
Length 64:08
Language English
Label Capitol
Producer Mark Trombino
Jimmy Eat World chronology
Static Prevails
(1996)
Clarity
(1999)
Bleed American
(2001)
Singles from Clarity
  1. "Lucky Denver Mint"
    Released: 1999
  2. "Blister"
    Released: 1999

Clarity is the third studio album by American rock band Jimmy Eat World, released on February 23, 1999 through Capitol Records.[1] Overlooked upon its release, Clarity has since amassed cult status and critical acclaim, often lauded as one of the best records of the 1990s.[2] Praise centered on its dynamic instrumentation, as well as the heartfelt delivery of singer-guitarist-lyricist Jim Adkins. Various music critics have credited the album for serving as a huge influence on modern-day emo music.[3][4][5] However, despite critical praise and promotion of the single "Lucky Denver Mint" in the Drew Barrymore comedy film Never Been Kissed, Clarity was commercially unsuccessful in a musical climate dominated by teen pop, and the band were dropped from their major label record deal the following year.[6]

Ironically, it was Clarity’s initial failure that put Jimmy Eat World on the path to their eventual success. After being dropped by Capitol, the band used this time to undertake extensive touring which allowed them to self-fund recording sessions for their eventual mainstream breakthrough, Bleed American (2001).[7] The album was remastered and re-released in 2007, featuring additional bonus tracks. Two years later, the band released Clarity Live (2009), recorded during its commemorative tenth anniversary tour.

Contents

History

The album was recorded in late 1998, to early 1999 at Sound City and Clear Lake Audio, both in North Hollywood, tracks were mixed at One on One in Los Angeles, Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood.[8]

The album Clarity marks the start of Jim Adkins - as opposed to Tom Linton providing lead vocals, with the exception of the song "Blister," Tom from this point only provides backing vocals on various tracks. The song "Goodbye Sky Harbor" is written based on the John Irving novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany.

"Lucky Denver Mint" is featured on the soundtrack of Never Been Kissed.[9]

Release

The 2009 vinyl re-release package includes bonus tracks “Christmas Card” and a demo of "Sweetness", as well as a Clarity 2009 tour t-shirt. The 16 pictures used on the album's cover were shot by Paul Drake, Crissy Piper and J Gnewikow, on the original releases of the album, for the 2009 re-issue all 16 images appear on the front of the vinyl. Art company The Uprising were hired to re-work the art for the 2009 release, using the original images, "...we were brought on to reconstruct and reinterpret the original artwork. We wanted to stay true to the original, but give it a slightly more sophisticated and updated look & feel. These reconstructions are always a little tricky because you rarely get all of the original art assets you need, but this turned out fantastic. And the actual prints look amazing!".[10][11]

Clarity x 10 Tour

The 2009 US Clarity x 10 Tour, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Clarity, was announced in November 2008 and goes across 10 dates in 10 different states, opening on February 23 at Terminal 5, New York, February 24, 930 Club Washington DC, February 25, Trocadero Theater in Philadelphia, February 26, House of Blues, Boston, February 28 at the Metro in Chicago, March 2 at the Ogden Theater in Denver, March 4 at The Fillmore in San Francisco, March 5 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, March 6 at San Diego's House of Blues and then ending in the bands home state of Arizona on March 7 at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, support for the tour comes from No Knife and Reuben's Accomplice.[12] The band has been extensively rehearsing in studio and on February 12 performed a rehearsal live over the internet. The band has also been using the social network Twitter to update and share photos and other material from the studio.[13] The band released Clarity Live - a digital-only release of the Clarity x 10 tour's finale, recorded in Tempe - on April 7, 2009.[14]

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars[15]
Alternative Press 5/5 stars[16]
BBC Music (favorable)[17]
Blender 4.5/5 stars[18]
Kerrang! 5/5 stars[19]
The New York Times (favorable)[20]
Record Collector 4/5 stars[21]
RTÉ Entertainment 5/5 stars[22]
Stylus (A)[23]
Sputnikmusic (4.5/5)[24]

Despite being largely overlooked upon its release, the album's critical stature has grown in time. In retrospect, the album is now viewed as a "masterpiece", a "landmark album of the 1990s", and "the Led Zeppelin IV of emo rock".[4][7][22] In 2008, Spin magazine polled members of seventeen modern-day bands, all of whom cited Jim Adkins’ writing and performance on the record as a primary influence.[25] Similarly, Manchester Orchestra bassist Jonathan Corley, in an interview with Rip it Up magazine, said that Clarity was one of his all-time favourite records and one that "changed the way I look at music."[26] Preceding the bands tenth anniversary tour of the album, Pete Cottell of The Phoenix New Times wrote, "What's truly admirable about the album is that it moves in so many different directions without getting lost on its journey. There's a tirade against shameless conformity ("Your New Aesthetic"), a herky-jerky, post-punk Police homage ("Believe in What You Want"), and a shimmering power ballad ("For Me This Is Heaven"). While ("Goodbye Sky Harbor") spills over with layered harmonies, chiming guitar passages, and 808 spurt. Unlike the 12 other tracks on Clarity, it's an almost impossible undertaking upon first listen. Once you've made it to the 13-minute mark, however, you'll never hit the skip button again."[27] Leor Galil of the Bostonist, noted that, "The album has been hailed as a cult and indie classic, and is one of a few go-to records that cemented an aural aesthetic known as emo, and is a genuinely deft and moving piece of music from start to finish. No wonder a proposal for Continuum's 33⅓ book series about Clarity is in the running for potential-future publication."[28] Writing in 2003, Andy Greenwald called it "one of the most fiercely beloved rock 'n' roll records of the last decade. It is name-checked by every single contemporary emo band as their favorite album, as a mind-bending milemarker that proved that punk rock could be tuneful, emotional, wide-ranging, and ambitious."[6]

Upon its re-issue in 2007, Blender magazine awarded a 4.5 star rating and noted that it was, "1999's masterful Clarity that established a foundation for 21st century emo. Dozens of weepy bottom-feeders have tried to write mid-20s angst anthems better than the soaring ‘Lucky Denver Mint’ or the delicately heartbroken ‘Just Watch The Fireworks’– but few have succeeded."[18] Allmusic praised the album and awarded a four star rating. Mark Vanderhoff stated; "Clarity mixes introspective balladry with power-chord punk rock, elements of chamber pop, and subtle doses of electronica to create a remarkably unique album".[15] Tim Nelson of the BBC was praiseworthy in his 2007 review of the remastering. "The band and Trombino deserve credit for blending heartfelt, yearning vocals and rock dynamics with adventurous production and unique instrumentation"[17] Alternative Press included the album in their "10 Classic Albums of 1999" feature. Scott Heisel wrote, "Like Weezer's Pinkerton before it, the album has gone on to serve as the birthplace of emo's third wave. The sixteen-minute closing track "Goodbye Sky Harbor", with its organic breakdown/electronic build up is often imitated but never duplicated. Proving its far better to test your own limits than rely on the parameters of others - which is the exact reason why Clarity resonates with tens of thousands of people, a decade later".[8] Nate Chinen, writing for The New York Times, accounted that "Clarity was a pivotal album for Jimmy Eat World, the first to feature Jim Adkins on lead vocals instead of Mr. Linton and the last to reflect the heart-on-sleeve values of emocore more than the hard gleam of pop-punk. The songs convey acute self-awareness along with flashes of grace and insolence: the album is a pitch-perfect teenage plaint."[20] Kerrang! magazine awarded the album five K's, which indicates "classic", and also labelled the album as the band's "Essential Purchase" in an article years later; "Glorious is perhaps the best word to capture the essence of Clarity. Overflowing with flawless melodies backed up not only by magnificent musicianship but a ton of heart, this is the album that renders the label 'emo' redundant. Every note and syllable resonates with the kind of heartfelt emotion we'd like to think is poured into everything we listen to".[29]

Harry Guerin of RTÉ Entertainment gave the album a full five star rating in his review. He described the album as a, "dense, beautiful collection which sees them bring in orchestras, drum loops and programming and find space for killer choruses, ballads and left field forays. The shortest song is under three minutes, the longest over 16 and the more you listen to all of them the more you'll wonder why this masterpiece wasn't massive"[22] Record Collector were also highly favourable. Eleanor Goodman awarded four stars out of five in her review and commented, "though the multicoloured cover of 1999’s Clarity became familiar in music shops. Its combination of melancholy, introspective pop with faster punk rock broke the band in the US".[21] Sputnikmusic staff reviewer Andrew Hartwig rated the album with a "Superb" 4.5 out of 5 rating. He praised the musicianship of the band; "Musically, the band are excellent. The drumming is sophisticated and original and the use of two guitars is a great addition to the band. The aforementioned range of added instruments adds immensely to the arrangements of the songs". He went on to summarise, "Clarity is an album full of sensible pop songs, replay value and a diverse range of instruments and sounds. Truly one of the best albums of the 90s".[24] Charles Merwin of Stylus gave the album an "A" grade and called it a "minor masterpiece — a product of its time and as important to modern emo as Weezer's Pinkerton".[23]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Jim Adkins and Tom Linton; music composed by Jimmy Eat World.[30]

No. Title Length
1. "Table for Glasses"   4:22
2. "Lucky Denver Mint"   3:50
3. "Your New Aesthetic"   2:50
4. "Believe in What You Want"   3:08
5. "A Sunday"   4:33
6. "Crush"   3:11
7. "12.23.95"   3:45
8. "Ten"   3:49
9. "Just Watch the Fireworks"   7:03
10. "For Me This Is Heaven"   4:04
11. "Blister"   3:30
12. "Clarity"   4:04
13. "Goodbye Sky Harbor"   16:13

Personnel

Jimmy Eat World
Additional musicians
Production
  • Dean Fisher – engineering assistant
  • Brian Gardner – mastering
  • Nick Raskulinecz – engineering assistant
  • Ron Rivera – engineering assistant
  • Justin Smith – engineering assistant
  • Mark Trombino – production, engineering, mixing

References

  1. ^ "Clarity CD by Jimmy Eat World". CD Universe. http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7469847. Retrieved 29 March 2010. 
  2. ^ Cizmar, Martin (8 March 2009). "Jimmy Eat World's Clarity Anniversary Show Impressive". The Phoenix New Times. http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/uponsun/2009/03/jimmy_eat_worlds_clarity_anniv.php. Retrieved 23 March 2011. 
  3. ^ Cizmar, Martin (10 November 2008). "Jimmy Eat World Celebrates Anniversary of Clarity By Playing It Live". The Phoenix New Times. http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/uponsun/2008/11/jimmy_eat_world_celebrates_ann.php. Retrieved 22 March 2011. 
  4. ^ a b Gaston, Peter (24 February 2009). "Jimmy Eat World Celebrate 10 Years of 'Clarity'". Spin. http://www.spin.com/articles/jimmy-eat-world-celebrate-10-years-clarity?page=0%2C1. Retrieved 22 March 2011. 
  5. ^ Admin (10 March 2009). "Jimmy Eat World Celebrate a Decade of "Clarity" in LA". Hollywood Icon. http://hollywoodiconmagazine.com/2009/03/10/jimmy-eat-world-celebrate-a-decade-of-%E2%80%9Cclarity%E2%80%9D-in-la/. Retrieved 22 March 2011. 
  6. ^ a b Greenwald, pp. 103–104.
  7. ^ a b Tate, Jason (3 March 2009). "Jimmy Eat World - Clarity Live". AbsolutePunk. http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?p=37646582#post=37646582. Retrieved 4 September 2009. 
  8. ^ a b Drake, Paul (September 1999), "10 Classic Albums of '99 - Jimmy Eat World : Clarity", Alternative Press (254): 71, ISSN 1065-1667, http://www.flickr.com/photos/42277775@N03/3942770896/sizes/o/, retrieved 2009-11-11 
  9. ^ "Never Been Kissed OST (Soundtrack)~ Various Artists - Soundtracks". Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Been-Kissed-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B00000ID3P. Retrieved 2010-03-29. 
  10. ^ Jimmy Eat World - 10th Anniversary Limited Edition Clarity Vinyl Reissue The Uprising, January 22, 2009
  11. ^ chrissypiper Chrissy Piper, Clarity photographer, February 2009
  12. ^ Ambrose, Anthony (2009-03-24). "inTuneMusic Online: Jimmy Eat World Clarity Tour". http://intunemusiconline.com/2009/03/24/jimmy-eat-world-reubens-accomplice-nyc-223/. Retrieved 2009-03-24. 
  13. ^ Staff (10 November 2008). "Jimmy Eat World announce 'Clarity' tour. The 10 shows will see band play 1999 album in its entirety". NME. http://www.nme.com/news/jimmy-eat-world/40965. Retrieved 11 November 2008. 
  14. ^ Staff (4 March 2009). "Jimmy Eat World to release 'Clarity Live'". NME. http://www.nme.com/news/jimmy-eat-world/43191. Retrieved 5 March 2009. 
  15. ^ a b Vanderhoff, Mark (9 September 2007). "Review: Clarity". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r396600/review. Retrieved 14 September 2009. 
  16. ^ Heisel, Scott (February 1999), "Jimmy Eat World: Clarity (Capitol)", Alternative Press (124): 45, ISSN 1065-1667 
  17. ^ a b Nelson, Tim (7 August 2007). "Jimmy Eat World, Clarity". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/8xzf/. Retrieved 13 August 2007. 
  18. ^ a b Greenwald, Andy (July 2007), "Jimmy Eat World: Clarity (Capitol)", Blender, ISSN 1534-0554 
  19. ^ Brannigan, Paul (February 1999), "Jimmy Eat World: Clarity (Capitol) KKKKK", Kerrang! (795): 49 
  20. ^ a b Chinen, Nate (24 February 2009). "Years Later, an Appeal to Heart and Head". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/arts/music/25term.html. Retrieved 23 March 2011. 
  21. ^ a b Goodman, Eleanor (9 August 2007). "First wave of commercial emo". Record Collector. http://www.recordcollectormag.com/reviews/review-detail/1380. Retrieved 16 May 2010. 
  22. ^ a b c Guerin, Harry (9 August 2007). "Jimmy Eat World - Clarity". RTÉ Entertainment. http://www.rte.ie/arts/2002/0910/jimmyeatworldalbums.html. Retrieved 16 May 2010. 
  23. ^ a b Merwin, Charles (9 August 2007). "Jimmy Eat World > Clarity > Capitol". Stylus. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/jimmy-eat-world/clarity.htm. Retrieved 16 May 2010. 
  24. ^ a b Hartwig, Andrew (17 September 2005). "Jimmy Eat World: Clarity". Sputnikmusic. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=453. Retrieved 13 November 2009. 
  25. ^ "Jimmy Eat World announce Clarity tour". Hip Online. http://www.hiponline.com/6261/jimmy-eat-world-announce-clarity-tour.html. Retrieved 10 November 2008. 
  26. ^ Admin (9 September 2010). "Interview - Manchester Orchestra". Rip it Up. http://ripitup.co.nz/contentitem/interview-manchester-orchestra/852. Retrieved 23 March 2011. 
  27. ^ Cottell, Pete (5 March 2009). "Jimmy Eat World: A Decade of Clarity". Phoenix New Times. http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2009-03-05/music/jimmy-eat-world-a-decade-of-clarity/. Retrieved 14 May 2010. 
  28. ^ Galil, Leor (26 February 2009). "Preview: Jimmy Eat World's Clarity X 10 Tour". Bostonist. http://bostonist.com/2009/02/26/preview_jimmy_eat_worlds_clarity_x.php. Retrieved 23 March 2011. 
  29. ^ "Where to Start: Jimmy Eat World". Kerrang!. http://www.kerrang.com/wheretostartwith/artists/jimmy_eat_world. Retrieved 2009-08-09. 
  30. ^ (1999) Album notes for Clarity by Jimmy Eat World [CD]. Capitol Records.

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