Integrity Blues
Polished, lushly produced electro-rock makes *Integrity Blues* a sleek contrast to 2013’s straight-to-tape *Damage*. After opening the record with the angelic backing vocals and layered guitars of “You with Me,” the band alternates moments of familiarity (“You Are Free” could be a B-Side from *Clarity*) with moody experimentation. The later is thanks to producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Paramore, NIN), whose touch can be heard on adventurous tracks like “Pass the Baby,” which ends with in a blaze of Sabbath-esque guitars.
The expansive, emotionally weathered *Integrity Blues is *perhaps Jimmy Eat World's best record since Bleed American, and even serves as its unlikely spiritual sequel.
Jimmy Eat World will never escape “The Middle,” and they’re quite all right with that. Twenty-three years on, the Arizona band has yet to match the success of 2001’s quintessential single, which marked their apotheosis from emo into the coveted ranks of the 2000s-alt-rock canon. And yet, rather than distance…
Like a city skyline shimmering under a night sky, Jimmy Eat World's ninth LP, Integrity Blues, shines in the dark with glimmering production, a refreshed sense for hooks, and some new tricks to add to their catalog.
In the sonic realm of Jimmy Eat World, change is a subtle thing. Each of their records has its own hallmarks, but they follow a loose script...
Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues review: There's still some living left when your prime comes and goes