Chase This Light
by Jimmy Eat World
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 25
  3. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. Village Voice
    80
    Thanks to singer Jim Adkins's bottomless well of high-flying choruses (not to mention the general shittiness of current affairs), the formula still delivers.
  2. The Boston Phoenix
    63
    Jimmy Eat World go to great lengths to recapture the anthemic thrills of "Clarity"--and give or take a few bouts of brooding cynicism, they’ve succeeded.
  3. Prefix Magazine
    50
    After nearly seven years, to churn out an album with three highlights and eight overblown odes (among them, 'Here It Goes,' 'Carry You,' and the forced empowerment of the title track) is disappointing.
  5. Hot Press
    80
    Chase This Light is not a genre-defying album for the history books–-it just gives the impression that Jimmy Eat World are still capable of producing one.
  6. Amazon.com
    80
    Chase This Light is packed with huge pop moments, galloping off with the exhilarating 'Big Casino' and swiftly following it with the towering 'Carry You,' songs seemingly custom made for action-packed pick-up truck commercials.
  7. Drowned In Sound
    30
    But most of all, these songs really blow, man. Way to top-load it with three half-decent tracks at the start.
  8. Uncut
    40
    Hooking up with Butch Vig, evidently--and trying for a heavier sound, It's a fair effort, certainly, but an unconvincing strategy. [Dec 2007, p.98]
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  9. Paste Magazine
    70
    Jimmy Eat World’s decidedly more adult Chase This Light finds the Mesa, Ariz., foursome bartering their former angst and fitful ennui for sophisticated, toothsome power pop.
  10. AllMusic
    60
    Nice to listen to and vaguely uplifting, but ultimately empty on the inside.
  11. Alternative Press
    60
    The band takes a few sucessful detours on Chase This Light, but by and large, it's more of the same. [Nov 2007, p.172]
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  12. Billboard
    80
    With Butch Vig producing, there is an extra coat of studio sheen on anthemic rockers ('Big Casino'), finger-snapping dance-y numbers ('Always Be') and such borderline Fall Out Boy-sounding political shout-outs as 'Electable (Give It Up).'
  13. Entertainment Weekly
    100
    Chase This Light is what emo should sound like: big emotions, sure, but also big hooks, big stakes. And big rewards. [19 Oct 2007, p.126]
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  14. Slant Magazine
    70
    Chase This Light is also a return to form for the band in terms of their ingratiating power-pop.
  15. Blender
    70
    Their sixth album sticks close to what they know best. [Nov 2007, p.153]
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  16. The A.V. Club
    67
    Nothing on Chase This Light is bad, relatively speaking; Jimmy Eat World has always sprinkled cheese on its albums, just never this generously.
  17. Rolling Stone
    60
    On their drony 2004 album, "Futures," Jimmy Eat World seemed deflated, as if frontman Jim Adkins was in need of one of his own “it just takes some time” musical pep talks. That’s not the case with the uneven Chase This Light, which is instead afflicted with the musical gigantism all too common in mainstream rock.
  18. Hartford Courant
    60
    The hooks are less immediate as well. Songs like 'Carry You' and 'Here it Goes' retain the compact force of past band gems, but too much of Chase is afflicted with a degenerate case of sameness.
  19. Sputnikmusic
    80
    Overall, Chase This Light takes the pop rock sound of their latest albums and perfects the style, complemented with Butch Vig’s flawless production skills. Again, the choruses sound bigger and catchier than ever.
  20. Stylus Magazine
    58
    Right now, it's an album I'm unlikely to play all that much now that I'm done reviewing it.
  21. NOW Magazine
    60
    Not amazing, but steady and fun all the same.
  22. Lost At Sea
    76
    Chase This Light's would-be killer singles make for enjoyable listening, but taken as a whole it feels uninspired for a band known for its ambition.
  23. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    Having distanced themselves from the E-word long before it became fashionable to do so, Chase This Light sees them outgrow it.
  24. PopMatters
    50
    More disappointing than that, though, is the fact that there is hardly anything groundbreaking to be found in Chase This Light’s 40 minutes, which is less than we’ve come to expect from this band.
  25. Q Magazine
    60
    It's business as usual rather than a breakthrough. [Nov 2007, p.138]
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  26. Spin
    70
    The record is crisply produced, with jittery, epic songs that just happen to be about getting older and maybe a little more cynical. [Nov 2007, p.125]
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 41 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 41
  3. Negative: 5 out of 41
  1. AaronW
    Jan 12, 2008
    10
    People need to get off the Clarity kick. Good album but would you ever like a band that just kept coming out with music that sounds the same People need to get off the Clarity kick. Good album but would you ever like a band that just kept coming out with music that sounds the same as all thier other albums. No. It's called growing as an artist. Playing it safe and bankable is something sellouts do, not actual artists. This is the first cd I've been hooked on in a while and it is far and away better than some give it credit for.… Full Review »
  2. RickB
    Jan 7, 2008
    7
    this is an album loaded with the kind of infectious and energetic pop songs i have come to expect from one of my favorite bands. i found this is an album loaded with the kind of infectious and energetic pop songs i have come to expect from one of my favorite bands. i found myself singing along with big casino the very first time i heard it! my chief complaint about this record is the production. unfortunately, jimmy eat world's last couple albums have been engineered to sound like the rest of the steroidal mainstream pop landscape. sure, it's punchy. but many dynamics are lost in the the digitally compressed, over-produced result. in the process, jim's vocals are layered and effected to the point of sounding a touch robotic. a friend of mine sent me some of the demos from this record (obviously lacking the final production touches) and they sound more alive to me than the finished product. however, this shouldn't detract from what is otherwise a very good offering from the band. it's just a shame they had to, once again, get wrung through the studio-"perfect" pop-mill along the way.… Full Review »
  3. ChrisG.
    Dec 6, 2007
    7
    It's pretty good but kind of disappointing at the same time. I have been hoping for them to come out with an amazing happened but it It's pretty good but kind of disappointing at the same time. I have been hoping for them to come out with an amazing happened but it just doesn't seem in the cards anymore. Regardless of what people say, "Clarity" is their best album and I compare everything they do to that. That may be unfair of me.… Full Review »
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