It remains up to debate whether or not Jimmy Eat World has actually caught any of the “light” they chased on their sixth studio album released on Oct. 16.

“Chase This Light,” produced by Butch Vig, is the group’s most upbeat, optimistic album yet, but may have fallen below the caliber set by the band’s incredible successes in the past.

On this attempt, Jimmy Eat World falls short in the areas where they usually excel: lyrics and vocals.

The subtle, mysterious lyrics we used to know and love from this Arizona group are missing on this album, replaced by shallow, immature statements and plenty of clichés.

Jimmy Eat World is the group that brought us such deep, powerful songs as “Hear You Me,” “My Sundown” and “Drugs Or Me” with lyrics that are all at once heartbreaking, introspective and heavily symbolic. The band reverts to more juvenile lyrics here, where nothing appears to be at stake. Choruses like “Big Casino’s” (“Get up, get up- turn on ignition. Get up, get up- fire up the system”) shy away from serious emotions and sound false and forced.

To make matters worse, in many of the songs on “Chase This Light,” Jon Adkins, the singer-guitarist , resorts to leaving words out completely, singing long strands of “Ohs,” “Ahs,” and “Heys” instead. This might have worked with some songs in the past (remember the extended “Whoas” in “Sweetness”?), the combination of shallow lyrics, vocal gimmicks and sugar-pop instrumentation place many of this CD’s songs directly on the thin line between sickeningly optimistic and downright annoying.

The worst example of this cop-out vocal technique lies in “Let It Happen,” when Adkins sings “Say whatever you want, ‘cause I can laugh it off,” and then actually breathes a few “Has” into the mic. Indeed, Adkins won’t be the only one laughing after this ridiculous musical joke.

The CD suffers in other areas as well. For the most part, Rick Burch’s bass is inaudible throughout the album, and drummer Zach Lind is rarely given opportunity for creativity—his hollow beats sound boring and drone-like on most tracks.

Still, the album does have its redeeming songs—a handful of gems that make it impossible to label the CD a failure. “Chase This Light,” the most lyrically powerful song on the album, has all the ambiguity and introspection that make Jimmy Eat World lyrics so compelling, not to mention fresh metaphors and incredible imagery.

“Dizzy” is another success, with epic instrumentation boosted by piano and string parts that add to Adkins’ aching vocal pleas. The elements of the song fit together beautifully, building and swelling in all the right places.

Several other songs are also worth listening to. The more subdued and experimental “Gotta Be Somebody’s Blues” serves as a successful moody, darker middle track, while “Always Be” and “Carry You” are bright, upbeat tracks that provide enjoyable melodies, despite their lack of interesting lyrics or instrumentation.

And, while the bass and drum parts on most songs may sound weak, and the vocals contrived, the guitars retain the same good, old-fashioned Jimmy Eat World sound that helps make the band so unique.

Reporter: Alyse Knorr - 10/24/07