Jimmy Eat World reimagines 'Clarity' to mark 25th anniversary

Monday, February 26, 2024 - 19:10

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Thomas

To celebrate today’s 25th anniversary of acclaimed alternative rock band Jimmy Eat World’s third studio album, Clarity (1999 / Capitol Records), an influential collection that nearly didn't see daylight, the stalwarts will release Clarity: Phoenix Sessions this spring. It’s a limited-edition two-LP set of the album’s original 13 songs — recorded live as part of their 2021 global stream Phoenix Sessions performances — on the band’s Exotic Location Recordings imprint.

The 25th-anniversary two-LP Clarity: Phoenix Sessions is pressed on translucent sunkissed colored vinyl, and it includes an extensive gatefold with previously unseen behind-the-scenes photos by Steve Thrasher and notes from the band. It was self-produced by Jimmy Eat World and impeccably mixed by Jim Adkins.

In 2021, the Arizona visionaries partnered with Danny Wimmer Presents on a unique global streaming performance series filmed live from the Icehouse in Phoenix, AZ. (watch/listen). Captured amidst the challenges of the pandemic, the project revolved around a trilogy of their albums. The objective: to elevate the performances beyond standard streaming quality, aiming for a dynamic akin to a live concert while incorporating all the intricacies and production elements. The band delivered their music directly to the camera, ensuring an immersive experience complete with all of the trimmings. “How we play songs evolves over time: One person adds an embellishment, and then the next night someone else picks up on it and adds their own thing,” explains singer and guitarist Jim Adkins. “This Phoenix Session of Clarity is our best attempt to play the album faithfully as who we are today. I would like to think we’ve learned a thing or two since 1999. We’re grateful for the opportunity to document where the songs are now. And thanks for coming along with us for the ride.”

“The jovial and talented multi instrumentalist Robin Vining joined us for this endeavor, and his contribution brings to life much of what previously had existed only in the studio recordings,” bassist Rick Burch says. “What we hear in this performance is our years of experience. This is not a studio recording. This is live — no do overs, and no second takes.”

Creating the studio album Clarity was an eventful ride all its own. It was a completely different vibe from 1996’s Static Prevails. “We had a sense that this might be the last time we had the luxury of making an album with a major-label budget. We wanted to make the most out of that opportunity, which led to a ‘kitchen sink’ approach,” remembers drummer Zach Lind.

With an seemingly endless budget, they teamed up again with producer Mark Trombino and this time around switched from Tom Linton and Adkins splitting vocal duties, to Jim handling most of the singing on the 12 of the 13 tracks, with Linton singing lead vocals on "Blister." Some of the new growth in the band's sounds came during their month-long stint as Clarity became an artistic creative staple allowing the band to feature guitar and drum loops, string ensembles, chimes, vibraphones, be introduced and use Pro Tools for the first time, and even track a song that was over 16 minutes long, album closer "Goodbye Sky Harbor."

A much shorter track on Clarity would go on to boost Jimmy Eat World’s fortunes and elevate their status in the emo/alt rock scene. Prior to the album’s release, “Lucky Denver Mint” surprisingly picked up airplay on world-famous Los Angeles radio station KROQ, and the song reached an even bigger audience when it was hand chosen to appear on the soundtrack for the Drew Barrymore film Never Been Kissed, breathing new life into the album. The rest is history.

"Little did we know after releasing Clarity that 'Lucky Denver Mint' would be used in a Drew Barrymore movie or that we would tour with bands we looked up to like The Promise Ring, or that we’d start getting a fan following in Europe," guitarist Tom Linton says. “Even now it still surprises me how far we’ve come, and I think we owe a lot to Clarity for that. Clarity will always have a special place in my heart, and I feel so lucky to be able to play these songs to this day.”

The sweetness from critics and fans grew as Clarity would go on to be a staple in the alternative rock scene and influence artists such as blink-182, Paramore, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday, Taylor Swift (who wrote lyrics ‘Can you still feel the butterflies? Can you still hear the last goodnight?'' from the track “For Me This Is Heaven” on her arm at one of her shows in 2011), Avril Lavigne, Mayday Parade, The Gaslight Anthem, Alyse Vellturo aka Pronoun, and more.

Jimmy Eat World are far from done revisiting their three-decade-deep back catalog. On October 21 and 22, they will perform their iconic fourth album, 2001’s Bleed American, from start to finish at the When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas. Also on tap for this year: Jimmy Eat World will tour with Fall Out Boy on their “So Much for (2our) Dust" dates — their first joint trek — starting February 28 in Portland, Oregon, and ending April 6 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

‘CLARITY: PHOENIX SESSIONS’