Clarity (Jimmy Eat World Album) - Reception and Legacy

Reception and Legacy

Despite being largely overlooked upon its release, the album's critical stature has grown in time. In retrospect, the album is now viewed as a "masterpiece", a "landmark album of the 1990s", and "the Led Zeppelin IV of emo rock". In 2008, Spin magazine polled members of seventeen modern-day bands, all of whom cited Jim Adkins’ writing and performance on the record as a primary influence. Similarly, Manchester Orchestra bassist Jonathan Corley, in an interview with Rip it Up magazine, said that Clarity was one of his all-time favourite records and one that "changed the way I look at music." Preceding the bands tenth anniversary tour of the album, Pete Cottell of The Phoenix New Times wrote, "What's truly admirable about the album is that it moves in so many different directions without getting lost on its journey. There's a tirade against shameless conformity ("Your New Aesthetic"), a herky-jerky, post-punk Police homage ("Believe in What You Want"), and a shimmering power ballad ("For Me This Is Heaven"). While ("Goodbye Sky Harbor") spills over with layered harmonies, chiming guitar passages, and 808 spurt. Unlike the 12 other tracks on Clarity, it's an almost impossible undertaking upon first listen. Once you've made it to the 13-minute mark, however, you'll never hit the skip button again." Leor Galil of the Bostonist, noted that, "The album has been hailed as a cult and indie classic, and is one of a few go-to records that cemented an aural aesthetic known as emo, and is a genuinely deft and moving piece of music from start to finish. No wonder a proposal for Continuum's 33⅓ book series about Clarity is in the running for potential-future publication." Writing in 2003, Andy Greenwald called it "one of the most fiercely beloved rock 'n' roll records of the last decade. It is name-checked by every single contemporary emo band as their favorite album, as a mind-bending milemarker that proved that punk rock could be tuneful, emotional, wide-ranging, and ambitious."

Upon its re-issue in 2007, Blender magazine awarded a 4.5 star rating and noted that it was, "1999's masterful Clarity that established a foundation for 21st century emo. Dozens of weepy bottom-feeders have tried to write mid-20s angst anthems better than the soaring ‘Lucky Denver Mint’ or the delicately heartbroken ‘Just Watch The Fireworks’– but few have succeeded." Allmusic praised the album and awarded a four star rating. Mark Vanderhoff stated; "Clarity mixes introspective balladry with power-chord punk rock, elements of chamber pop, and subtle doses of electronica to create a remarkably unique album". Tim Nelson of the BBC was praiseworthy in his 2007 review of the remastering. "The band and Trombino deserve credit for blending heartfelt, yearning vocals and rock dynamics with adventurous production and unique instrumentation" Alternative Press included the album in their "10 Classic Albums of 1999" feature. Scott Heisel wrote, "Like Weezer's Pinkerton before it, the album has gone on to serve as the birthplace of emo's third wave. The sixteen-minute closing track "Goodbye Sky Harbor", with its organic breakdown/electronic build up is often imitated but never duplicated. Proving its far better to test your own limits than rely on the parameters of others - which is the exact reason why Clarity resonates with tens of thousands of people, a decade later". Nate Chinen, writing for The New York Times, accounted that "Clarity was a pivotal album for Jimmy Eat World, the first to feature Jim Adkins on lead vocals instead of Mr. Linton and the last to reflect the heart-on-sleeve values of emocore more than the hard gleam of pop-punk. The songs convey acute self-awareness along with flashes of grace and insolence: the album is a pitch-perfect teenage plaint." Kerrang! magazine awarded the album five K's, which indicates "classic", and also labelled the album as the band's "Essential Purchase" in an article years later; "Glorious is perhaps the best word to capture the essence of Clarity. Overflowing with flawless melodies backed up not only by magnificent musicianship but a ton of heart, this is the album that renders the label 'emo' redundant. Every note and syllable resonates with the kind of heartfelt emotion we'd like to think is poured into everything we listen to".

Harry Guerin of RTÉ Entertainment gave the album a full five star rating in his review. He described the album as a, "dense, beautiful collection which sees them bring in orchestras, drum loops and programming and find space for killer choruses, ballads and left field forays. The shortest song is under three minutes, the longest over 16 and the more you listen to all of them the more you'll wonder why this masterpiece wasn't massive" Record Collector were also highly favourable. Eleanor Goodman awarded four stars out of five in her review and commented, "though the multicoloured cover of 1999’s Clarity became familiar in music shops. Its combination of melancholy, introspective pop with faster punk rock broke the band in the US". Sputnikmusic staff reviewer Andrew Hartwig rated the album with a "Superb" 4.5 out of 5 rating. He praised the musicianship of the band; "Musically, the band are excellent. The drumming is sophisticated and original and the use of two guitars is a great addition to the band. The aforementioned range of added instruments adds immensely to the arrangements of the songs". He went on to summarise, "Clarity is an album full of sensible pop songs, replay value and a diverse range of instruments and sounds. Truly one of the best albums of the 90s". Charles Merwin of Stylus gave the album an "A" grade and called it a "minor masterpiece — a product of its time and as important to modern emo as Weezer's Pinkerton".