Review: Jimmy Eat World – Integrity Blues

Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues
Craig Ismaili

“The open road is still miles away. Ain’t nothing serious. We still have our fun. Oh, we had it once.” These words, from the second verse of Jimmy Eat World’s perpetually underrated song, “The World You Love,” sum up so much of why I have fallen head-over-heels in love with this band over the past five years of my life. Jimmy Eat World’s music is best represented by the open road late night drives that “The World You Love” calls to mind. The freedom to explore the best of what the world has to offer.

My life is currently in a state of transition. One change, in particular, looms larger than the others. One of my closest friends, and one of the catalysts for thrusting me headfirst into Jimmy Eat World super fandom, is moving 600 miles away at the end of the month. Someday, maybe soon, I will end up relocating as well. So that line, so symbolic of the open road optimism for the future, is also simultaneously so wistful about the places we’re leaving behind, and the fun we’re putting in the rear-view mirror.

It’s this tightrope act between pensive, longing reflection on the past and relentless optimism for the future that I pondered as I drove north on I-287 through the rain, with no clear destination in mind, and the dashboard clock winding towards midnight. And sound-tracking that late-night drive was Integrity Blues, the breathtaking ninth studio album from Jimmy Eat World.

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Sponsor: Iridescent to Release Double Album on Halloween

Iridescent
Sponsored Post

Iridescent’s debut double album, Dreams in Black and White, will be released next Monday on Halloween. The record is separated between the “White” album — a melodic, softer, and lyrically introverted album, and the “Black” album — a heavier, syncopated, and lyrically extroverted collection. The idea is a musical ode to yin and yang. The album was three years in the making and is for fans of Circa Survive, Radiohead, NIN, Depeche Mode and 30 Seconds to Mars. A good track to get an idea for the band’s sound is “This Moment,” which is up on Bandcamp right now.

The album carries a moonlight ambiance and that’s one of the reasons the band picked Halloween as their release date.

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The Blow on the History of Female Producers

MTV
Jason Tate

Hazel Cills, writing at MTV:

While male producers and musicians like Philip Glass and Steve Reich have been written about and documented extensively, the work of female producers and early electronic musicians like Wendy Carlos, Laurie Spiegel, Delia Derbyshire, and more have essentially been ignored and undervalued by music historians. To combat the stereotype that production is solely a man’s job, The Blow created an online archive, womanproducer.com, to collect photos and clips of female producers in history. Recently, the archive has expanded into a live event series at Brooklyn’s National Sawdust, featuring performances and talks by artists like Zola Jesus, Neko Case, and more.

The Ramones Have Street Named After Them

Ramones
Jason Tate

The Ramones have had a street in NYC named after them:

A street in the band’s home neighborhood of Forest Hill, Queens, at the intersection of 67th Avenue and 110th Street, has been officially renamed Ramones Way. The sign stands in front of Forest Hills School, the alma mater of Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee, and Tommy Ramone, and was unveiled by councilwoman Karen Koslowitz this morning.

Kanye West Says He’ll Boycott Grammys if Frank Ocean Isn’t Nominated

Kanye West
Jason Tate

Kanye West has claimed he’ll boycott the Grammys if Frank Ocean isn’t nominated:

Kanye talked about his love for Ocean’s music, saying, “The album I listen to the most this year is Frank Ocean’s album.” He went on, “I’ll tell you this right now: If his album’s not nominated in no categories, I’m not showin’ up to the Grammys.”

Frank Ocean’s albums were not submitted for consideration.