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Clarity is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Jimmy Eat World, released February 23, 1999 on Capitol Records. Overlooked upon its release, Clarity has since amassed cult status and critical acclaim, often lauded as one of the best records of the 1990s. This came after it was initially considered a commercial failure, leading to the band being dropped by Capitol Records. However this allowed them to self-fund recording sessions for their eventual mainstream breakthrough, Bleed American.[9] The album was remastered and re-released in 2007 featuring additional bonus tracks. Two years later in 2009, the band released Clarity Live, recorded during its commemorative tenth anniversary tour.
[edit] HistoryThe 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. 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. [edit] ReleaseThe 2009 vinyl re-release package includes bonus tracks “Christmas Card” and “Sweetness (demo)”, 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] [edit] Clarity x 10 TourThe 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 have been extensively rehearsing in studio and on February 12 performed a rehearsal live over the internet. The band have 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. [edit] Critical recognitionIn retrospect, the album is now often viewed as a "masterpiece" and a "landmark album of the 90s".[9][14] Upon its re-issue in 2007, Blender awarded a 4.5 star rating and called it simply, "masterful".[9] 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".[1] 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"[15] 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".[2] Kerrang! would also list it as the bands "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".[3] 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"[6] 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".[5] 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".[8] 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".[7] [edit] Track listingAll lyrics written by Jim Adkins and Tom Linton; all music composed by Jimmy Eat World.[16]
[edit] PersonnelThe following personnel contributed to Clarity:[16]
[edit] References
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