Work was another highlight. Man.

Polaris fuck yeah!

Got clarity and stay on my side tonight on vinyl. Yay

Clarity is a clear record which is super fuckin cool

That is cool

Stay On My Side Tonight pink or what?

It is not pink.

Holy shit what was wrong with me not liking clarity initially???!!?! I’m officially obsessed.

Clarity and Invented are perfect.

Should I get a second JEW tattoo? Maybe

Lucky Denver Mint and Sweetness are perfect songs

that about all i can speak to

I'm coming in late to the thread and I'll read it after I post.

I got really into Bleed American in 2002. I was obsessed with that record so much. Then Futures came out and I liked it a lot! I saw them a few times and they played "Blister", which I'd never heard before because I never explored their earlier catalogue. But that song is prob my favorite song of theirs and I used to listen to it on repeat all the time around 2006?

I liked Chase This Light a little less and I guess I lost track of them after that. I think they had an EP somewhere in between Futures and CTL that I remember digging.

I really should give them another chance and listen to all their records. They're one of those bands where my ears always perk up when I see them mentioned or if they have new music out because I feel like all their stuff would hit that sweet spot for me but I really haven't listened in about a decade.

I remember i saw them play with Blood Brothers and Coheed. That's like a trifecta but I knew the normies in the audience would be confused by the Blood Brothers.

I was not disappointed. I fuckin' loooved the BB's set but the audience was like WTFFF

Wait what JEW tat did you get?!

I got the pol roger logo. Title of the last track on their most recent album. The EP you are thinking of is Stay On My Side Tonight. And it is amazing.

https://youtu.be/dPTVMm5YVrs

So lovely

Wild to see my opinions evolve in this thread lol

Yes. I really love the last two tracks on that album. What a knockout combo.

Listening through their discog right now. :cool:

Today I've listened to their S/T album and S/T-era songs. I could only really get into a few songs on the album (Chachi, Patches, Usery, & Reason 346) and about that many of the non album tracks from the era - Look At You, Indecent Exposure, Carbon Scoring, & Christmas Card.

*Usery I was on the fence about but listening to the last half of it kinda sealed it for me - the warm little noodling they do before the ending vocal part is very nice.

Static Prevails & Clarity-era: really not finding a whole lot here worth more than a couple listens. (Crush ripped the guitar part from Stars by Hum; not a great look, guys.) A handful of these sound familiar from when I've seen them live, but are not necessarily songs I want to listen to.

The keepers are: Claire, Rockstar, Lucky Denver Mint, For Me This Is Heaven, Blister, Most Beautiful Things, Speed Read, & H Model. :\

Bleed American was where I really knew about them for the first time, as I said previously. Maybe that's why this is definitely my favorite album and the only track-to-track perfect JEW album thus far.

Doesn't seem like they had a whole lot of b-sides/outtakes from this era, though. All I have are (Splash) Turn Twist, Last Christmas, and Your House [2007]. I like all three of them; I usually don't bother with covers, but the Wham! one is my exception to the rule.

I listened the fuck out of Futures in 2004, so going back I kinda remember liking a lot of these songs but now it's kinda like, "Do I really like it or am I just remembering when I loved it as a 22 year old?"

The title track, Work, Kill, World You Love, and Pain are still solid. Night Drive straddles the line - it's a little better than passable but lower than solid.

Just Tonight and nothingwrong didn't age well to me; Drugs Or Me seems like the obligatory "slow, sad song" that they did much better on Bleed American. Polaris is a Dashboard rip (yeah, I know, they came up at the same time, it still feels like a rip); 23 is a snooze.

As for b-sides/outtakes, Jen is good (even though most fans tend to disagree, apparently) and so is Sparkle; but You and When I Want are forgettable. Shame is good but could have used about a minute edited off.

Welp, the Stay On Your Side Tonight EP did not hold up for me. I think this might have been when they started losing me, now that I think about it.

Chase This Light: obviously, Big Casino is a bop; it's like the last BIG single they had, right? I can't tell because my finger ain't on the pulse. But I remember it being a big deal on the internet when it came out. Electable (Give It Up), the title track, and Dizzy are all good, but that's about it for me on this album.
A couple of associated b-sides/outtakes: I want to like Be Sensible but there's something missing from it for me full embrace it. The other stuff (Distraction, Beautiful Is, & Open Bar Reception) is completely unmemorable.

Invented: Evidence & Coffee and Cigarettes are keepers, but the rest of the album is either JEW-by-Numbers (Heart is Hard To Find, My Best Theory) or straight up turds (Higher Devotion & the aggro posturing of Actions Needs Audience, especially). The hooks want to be there but never find themselves.

Damage: Back when this came out, I was like at least six years out of the JEW game but figured I'd give it a shot. I thought it was refreshing and sounded like them when I had lost track of them. Revisiting it now, the title track, Lean, Book of Love, & Please Say No sound like Futures-era and these tracks hit a sweet spot, for sure. Byebyelove is passable - not overjoyed with it, but it's fine.

Integrity Blues: I can appreciate what they're doing on Pass the Baby but don't know if I'd want to listen to it again or anything. I can also appreciate the experimentation that flows through the album, but they are best when they embrace what they do best (You Are Free, The End is Beautiful, and Pol Roger).

They've put out a single this year, not big on it; but the b-side, Half Heart, is so good.

Half Heart is pretty great.

Also, I liked Higher Devotion. Thought it was one of the highlights from Invented.

Half heart is amazing.

23 being labeled a snoozer is offensive to me.

This band is legit on sp and nin levels for me.

Also how does somst not hold up. Bleh!

Also I LOVE higher devotion

My husband hates Jew so I guess I get it but ugh!

So I got static prevails on vinyl and I am loving it.

Episode IV is so good.

Nice. Unlike most unnecessary vinyl releases these days, I bet that one could actually benefit from the format.