This UK tour edition includes two bonus tracks, and a bonus CD of demos.
After firmly establishing itself in the hearts and minds of rock fans through numerous EPs and two albums of angst-fueled power-pop, Jimmy Eat World scored a big hit single with "The Middle," from the excellent BLEED AMERICAN (re-christened JIMMY EAT WORLD in the wake of 9/11). This third full-length record didn't offer anything substantially different than prior releases, but the mainstream had finally caught up with Jimmy Eat World.
FUTURES, the ensemble's first album following its breakthrough, doesn't stray from the formula that has worked so well for the Arizona band. Jim Adkins's vocals are quietly insistent, and, at times, fiery, conveying reflective, intelligent lyrics that complement intricate melodies. Like its immediate predecessor, FUTURES opens with a politically minded title track ("I hope for better in November"), but, in general, the songs mostly revolve around love and longing. "Work" and "Pain" are filled with heart-on-the-sleeve emotions, and Jimmy Eat World makes these tunes work with undeniable sincerity. With many sharp, catchy songs on display, FUTURES is another outstanding record from Jimmy Eat World.
What the critics say...
Rolling Stone (p.104) - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 - "[T]heir fifth and finest album....With unashamedly sentimental pop-punk tunes that aim for the upper-register quaver in Adkins' voice."
Rolling Stone (p.144) - Included in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Records Of 2004 - "[They] finally show off the pop-wise maturity they have been hiding and refining inside the punk fuzz guitars..."
Spin (p.65) - Ranked #21 in Spin's "40 Best Albums of the Year" - "[T]hese are gorgeously overwrought anthems..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.94) - "[T]hese songs sound supersized..." - Grade: B-
Uncut (p.140) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]horoughly pleasant....More Foo Fighters than Fugazi, and all the sparklier for it."
Alternative Press (p.148) - 4 out of 5 - "The end result is a beautiful example of what 'heart-on-sleeve' music should be..."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.52) - "FUTURES mixes crunchy, rockier numbers with delicate, fragile songs..."
