Jimmy Eat World is one of those rare bands that has managed to have a very strong pop leaning with a lot of its material, but has still managed to keep things fresh and to keep a certain amount of street cred as well. Having seen them live a couple of times, I can say they do put on a great show and there is no denying they have some catchy-ass songs in the back catalog. The band released their latest album Invented late in 2010, and while there are a few moments where the album works, generally this album does not really come across as fresh and interesting as a lot of the band’s previous material. It feels as if the band maybe is a little stuck in a routine on this one, and it doesn’t have the interesting twists and turns of an album like Futures.

When dabbling in pop-centric rock music, it can be tough to really make your songs sound fresh and interesting. This band has largely been able to do it even up through Futures and to a lesser extent on their last album Chase This Light. The last album had some really nice moments, but still sounded slightly stale. Here, on Invented, the band struggles to keep a fresh outlook on things and the songs for the most part start to sound a little formulaic and calculated. They still deliver their trademark hooks and riffs and vocal harmonies that keep it all sounding very much like a Jimmy Eat World record. They have struggled at making these songs really jump out and grab you, which has always been something they have been great at, and the songs kind of passively wash over you to an extent.

There are a few moments where the album works, notably the title track “Invented” is probably the strongest build-up and release of the whole album, with some solidly put together choruses and bridges and a nice little rock out thrown in there. It has a better energy and feel to it than most of the record. The album’s opener (“Heart Is Hard To Find”) and closer (“Mixtape”) also manage to keep a nice pace or at least keep it interesting, but for the most part, through the middle of the record, the album kind of struggles to get legs and really get any momentum. Songs like “Movielike”, “Stop” and “Coffee and Cigarettes” have the Jimmy Eat World sound to them, but just sound kind of slapped together in many ways and don’t quite reach the melodic or dramatic highs this band can get to sometimes.

I think this band has for their career done a great job of blending mainstream success with some still very solid and substantial records, although with this latest record I think the band is maybe having a little trouble keeping that going and are searching for how to keep things sounding fresh. They are successful at a few limited points on the record, but the record is not particularly noteworthy or memorable aside from those few moments, and largely comes across as just a very nicely put together pop-rock album. I do really enjoy a lot of the work this band has done over the years, so I do hope they keep it going, but I think they also haven’t managed to really hit up to their potential on this one.

“Stop” by Jimmy Eat World from Invented

“My Best Theory” by Jimmy Eat World from Invented