When 'Futures' was finally released, it seemed that the furore surrounding 'Bleed American' had completely died down. The fairweather fanbase that the band had picked up had all but bled away, leaving most of their original fans to pick up the pieces. This is a record that isnt so intent on scoring hits as their previous work, its takes a considerable time for these songs to sink into the skin.
It starts with a bang - The title track acting as a signal of intent, Jim barking the words out like he really means it (and he does) This good work continues through the first half of the album, hardly letting the pace settle through 'Just Tonight', 'Work' and 'Kill'. The original version of this had a song called 'Jen' before 'Pain', another upbeat little groover that is sadly missed on this album.
The second half is more experimental, the group trying new sounds, dropping the pace and testing the waters. It all ends with the greatest ever Jimmy Eat World song, '23'. Epic in scope, building to a crescendo from its solemn start, its sums up everything great about this band.
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