This came out last week so I hope it's not too late to post. This is their first new album since 2004! (Yes, it's the "Wherever You Will Go" guys!)

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Thank you and enjoy your well-deserved rest now that camp season is over! 🏕️

Think of what you know about the pop-punk or emo genre. Which songs come to mind first? What are the biggest hits that have outlasted the genre's mainstream moment in the early aughts? Chances are, one of the songs you thought of was "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World. Bleed American, the album containing "The Middle," was released 25 years ago today as the band's fourth record (third on a major label).

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https://preview.redd.it/kuj2pidol6fh1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1539d63077e3e02ba6d37934b229ef23df1a5f9e

Background

In 1999, Arizona natives Jimmy Eat World released their third album, Clarity. While it is today considered an emo masterpiece, Clarity did not perform well at the time, and the band found themselves dropped from their then label, Capitol Records. So for the next year they toured hard, sold copies of the CD themselves, and worked odd jobs to save up in hopes to fund their next record. They built a solid cult following that caught the attention of DreamWorks Records, and went into the studio with the same producer they had used for their last two records, Mark Trombino.

Trombino was confident the album would eventually be a hit, and his expectations were more than exceeded. Bleed American was a smash success, helped by the fact that the songs were more accessible and radio-friendly than what they'd made in the past. This album helped the band ascend to beloved legend status, not to mention retroactively earning their prior work the respect it always deserved. Whether you're a seasoned fan or a newbie looking to get into the emo-pop genre, you can't go wrong giving Bleed American a spin.

Track Breakdown

1. Bleed American

The album starts on its loudest note. The chorus has Jim Adkins yelping over his own multi-tracked vocals, with the guitars and drums slamming at full force behind him. This one will wake you up and make you jump.

2. A Praise Chorus

There are many good sing-alongs on this album, and here's a prime example. Adkins softly but surely chants “I'm on my feet, I'm on the floor, I'm good to go,” and it makes you want to go wherever he's going. There are many more lyrical hooks just on this one song alone.

3. The Middle

Their career-defining hit is a shot of straightforward, feel-good positivity for all the depressed emo kids out there. I wouldn't say this is the best the band has to offer, but it was probably your first introduction to them, especially if you're of the right age. This one will live on in pop-punk playlists forever. (Our very own r/popheads raters gave it a 8.541 average score, the runner-up and most 11s in its rate.)

4. Your House

The first mostly acoustic number, and one of the few songs about heartbreak. The repetition of “If you love me at all” gets louder as the song builds, creating a feeling of desperation.

5. Sweetness

The other song from this album you may know. It works best as a crowd-pleaser for a big arena or festival, literally inviting the audience to wail back with a euphoric “whoa-oh-oh.” This was originally recorded for Clarity, but in another massive fumble, their old label didn't think it was a hit and declined to put it on that album. We're all very lucky DreamWorks saw the vision.

6. Hear You Me

A beautiful, very sad ballad mourning the death of a friend who passed. Put it on if you want to cry.

7. If You Don't, Don't

This deep cut is my favorite song on the album. The lyrics are wonderful storytelling, and the music chugs along steadily while still making little changes in the chords or tempo here or there to keep you interested.

8. Get It Faster

The verses of this song are soft, tense, and eerie, with strings in the background that give the impression of a ticking clock. Then the chorus opens into something much louder and darker. You could consider this the emotional catharsis of the album, if there is one.

9. Cautioners

Another mostly acoustic song, and the slowest on the record. This is probably my least favorite track, but I understand people who ride for it because of its atmosphere.

10. The Authority Song

After the past couple songs which were rather heavy and serious, they give us another Certified Bop™. It sounds weird to say a pop-punk song makes you want to dance -- not mosh or jump, actually dance -- but when you listen, you'll get what I mean.

11. My Sundown

In one of the most dramatic mood whiplashes you'll ever hear on an album, we end with a very depressing ballad. Genius lyrics says it's about the death of the American dream, but I don't know -- to me, this song has always been about suicidal ideation. It fades out as Jim and a background singer harmonize “No one cares…” over and over, then literally ends with “Good, good night.” The production is delicate and lush, and it definitely leaves an impression as a finale.

Bonus Track: No Sensitivity

There are two B-sides and both are very good! This one is classic Jimmy Eat World, with gritty guitars and a pretty chorus. It evokes the tighter, more commercial moments on Clarity as well as the softer side of Futures, the next record after this one.

Bonus Track: (Splash) Turn Twist

Between the two bonus tracks, I'd say this one is more fun and catchy, despite being a bit slower.

The band and producer are currently doing a series of documentary videos where they go in-depth to the creation of every song. I recommend it if you're a die-hard or interested in music production!

Discussion Questions

What are your favorite songs on the album?

How do you think this album has aged? Is this style too tied to its early 2000s moment, or is it timeless?

How do you feel about "The Middle" being their biggest hit? Do you think it represents them well, or is there another song here that deserves the honor?

Have you seen the anniversary tour, or do you plan to? How do you feel about the performances, or the other songs they chose?

Anniversary retrospective review of Lily Allen's debut!

Hi all, looking for some advice on a weird situation that's come up.

My camp doesn't do any alumni outreach or events, though we've been asking for years. But a few days ago, I saw a new "Alumni Registration" form on the camp website. It's pretty standard questions -- asking people's contact info, what years they were at camp and their role. The form is hosted on CampMinder, which the camp has been using for parent and staff registration for over a decade.

I was really excited to see the camp finally acknowledging our existence, so I shared it on Facebook and encouraged people to fill it out. Then a former staff member started questioning "Who is collecting this info?" and "This isn't from the camp, it's some group called CampMinder." "Be careful before filling this out." They saw some legal disclaimers and logos at the bottom of the form, and is now concerned that it's a third party collecting people's info for shady purposes.

Since this form is on the official camp website and contains questions very specific to the camp, I myself am not especially worried about whether it's legit. To make sure, I messaged the current directors to ask if they're aware of this form and what they're planning on doing with people's info (no reply yet).

I'm just wondering if there's anything else I can tell people to reassure them. Most likely this one person is just not familiar with what CampMinder is (they haven't worked at the camp in a long time). But their comments left me quite embarrassed, as it made it look like I'm spamming a shady link.

It will be fine, right? If it's on the camp website and powered by CampMinder, it's safe to say that really was made by the camp directors themselves and not some sketchy impostor? Thanks in advance!

Note: I posted this on r/popheads but I want to hear your guys' thoughts as well.

A common music critique I see is that an artist either "has nothing to say," or that a song is "about nothing" or "adds nothing new." I admit, sometimes I have trouble figuring out what this means or what exactly they're trying to critique.

A few examples: I remember reading a review of Avril Lavigne's Under My Skin album, from when it came out. I just looked it up and the exact quote was "struggling to find any stories worth telling save for boyfriend trouble and dead grandparents." Are those not worth telling? I'd argue that album absolutely has something to tell, namely telling young girls that you don't have to let a boy in your pants just because he was nice to you. You may or may not agree with the angle, but I'd argue it's definitely there.

More recently, I saw a couple users here talking about Harry Styles' new album and how he had "nothing to say." I also remember someone calling Beautiful Things a "song about nothing." That song is about the anxiety that comes with happiness, the worry that it could all go away at any minute. You can hate the vocals or something about the song (god knows I clown on Benson Boone all the time) but to me, that topic isn't "nothing."

I've definitely heard vapid songs that aren't really about anything, but I don't think it's nearly as many as people like to complain about. A fair amount of dance music comes to mind, because lyrics are less important in that genre.

I guess I want to know what the line is for you guys. What does a song have to do to constitute "saying something" vs. not? How can a song "add something new" when there's already songs out there for pretty much every emotion and experience? And do you consider this important in the music you like?

A common music critique I see is that an artist either "has nothing to say," or that a song is "about nothing" or "adds nothing new." I admit, sometimes I have trouble figuring out what this means or what exactly they're trying to critique.

A few examples: I remember reading a review of Avril Lavigne's Under My Skin album, from when it came out. I just looked it up and the exact quote was "struggling to find any stories worth telling save for boyfriend trouble and dead grandparents." Are those not worth telling? I'd argue that album absolutely has something to tell, namely telling young girls that you don't have to let a boy in your pants just because he was nice to you. You may or may not agree with the angle, but I'd argue it's definitely there.

More recently, I saw a couple users here talking about Harry Styles' new album and how he had "nothing to say." I also remember someone calling Beautiful Things a "song about nothing." That song is about the anxiety that comes with happiness, the worry that it could all go away at any minute. You can hate the vocals or something about the song (god knows I clown on Benson Boone all the time) but to me, that topic isn't "nothing."

I've definitely heard vapid songs that aren't really about anything, but I don't think it's nearly as many as people like to complain about. A fair amount of dance music comes to mind, because lyrics are less important in that genre.

I guess I want to know what the line is for you guys. What does a song have to do to constitute "saying something" vs. not? How can a song "add something new" when there's already songs out there for pretty much every emotion and experience? And do you consider this important in the music you like?