Jimmy Eat World

Jimmy Eat World don’t get any more interesting to look at but, six albums in, they’re still the most reliable practitioners of big-hearted man-rock on the planet. And, having distanced themselves from the E-word long before it became fashionable to do so, ‘Chase This Light’ sees them outgrow it. After 2004’s Bush-baiting ‘Futures’, the mood here is largely carefree. Indeed, save the grimacing ‘Electable’, you could even call it happy, as cyborg producer Butch Vig adds an impressive gloss to what’s already a solid wall of sound. ‘Big Casino’ weaves soulful vocals across foundations of thudding guitar, while ‘Feeling Lucky’ and ‘Here It Goes’ demonstrate what a quietly world-beating band they’ve always been. Most surprising is the luscious ‘Firefight’ that could easily soundtrack an end-of-season segue on The OC. Which might not be what they wanted, but it’s terrific nonetheless.

Daniel Martin