Clarity is the third studio album by American rock band Jimmy Eat World. It was released on February 23, 1999, through Capitol Records, with which Jimmy Eat World clashed several times while recording their second studio album Static Prevails (1996). The band recorded a follow-up with producer Mark Trombino in May and June 1998, and were free to make it however they wanted without interference from Capitol. The recording sessions began at Sound City in Van Nuys, California, before moving to Clear Lake Audio in North Hollywood, California. Clarity, which is described as an emo, pop punk, and punk rock release, marked the beginning of frontman Jim Adkins's tenure as the band's main vocalist, taking over from guitarist Tom Linton.
Following the release of Jimmy Eat World's self-titled second EP (1998), "Lucky Denver Mint" began airing on radio in January 1999. "Lucky Denver Mint" and "Blister" were released as singles in 1999; a music video was later made for the former, which was directed by Darren Doane. Jimmy Eat World went on a six-week tour of the United States, and appeared on that year's Warped Tour. In spite of promotion for "Lucky Denver Mint", Clarity was deemed a commercial failure, and Capitol dropped the band in August 1999. The band then toured Europe, and played three US shows before going on a break. Clarity was released worldwide in 2001, where it was promoted with "Lucky Denver Mint" and "Blister". The album has been re-released several times, and has been performed in its entirety by the band on multiple occasions.
Clarity reached number 30 on the US Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, and peaked at number 47 in Germany. Despite receiving favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised the dynamic instrumentation, it was commercially overlooked upon release, but has since amassed cult status and further critical acclaim, and is lauded as one of the best emo albums of all time by publications such as Kerrang!, LA Weekly, and Rolling Stone. Some music critics have credited the album as an influence on later acts such as Something Corporate, the Wonder Years, and Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional.
Background
Jimmy Eat World released their second album Static Prevails through Capitol Records in July 1996. The creative process was hampered by recurring clashes with the band's record label, who insisted the band rework some of their songs and write new ones, and wanted to engage different producers. The album saw them shift away from the pop-punk sound of their earlier work, and into post-hardcore and emo.Citations regarding the stylistic change for Static Prevails: Pop-punk: Post-hardcore: Keiper 2002, p. 83 Emo: A&R representatives Craig Aaronson and Loren Israel were met with indifference at the label's offices, with president Gary Gersh not willing to support an act that was relatively unknown.Ozzi 2022, p. 92 Capitol included two songs on promotional samplers that were sent to programming directors at radio stations; the label said it was part of a development process it had for the band. The Dallas Observer said the sampler and a lack of promotion were seen as the label cutting its losses. Other issues included not willing to fund a music video, the band members unable to find the album stocked at record stores, and a proposal, which they rejected, that they play outside 7-Eleven stores.Ozzi 2022, pp. 93, 94 Jimmy Eat World promoted Static Prevails with a short tour of the United States, and a cross-country tour with Sense Field in early 1997.Martin 1997, p. 10
Within a year of its release, the album had only sold less than 10,000 copies, marking it a commercial failure. Frontman Jim Adkins was disappointed with being on Capitol's roster and debated moving on with his life. Jimmy Eat World were making inroads grinding on tour, alongside their contemporaries in Braid, Jejune, and Mineral.Ozzi 2022, p. 94 Around this time, Jimmy Eat World was being tagged as emocore, shortened to emo, an introspective style of punk rock, within the music scene, as were their peers. Despite the band being under contract to Capitol, they decided to issue seven-inch vinyl records illegally as they felt the label would not notice them due to the lack of interest from Capitol.Ozzi 2022, p. 95 A three-way split single was released through Crank! A Record Company that featured Jimmy Eat World, Sense Field, and Mineral, which included an early version of "Crush". Sometime after this, Jimmy Eat World released a split single with Jejune that was released through Big Wheel Recreation. In early 1998, Adkins and guitarist Tom Linton were part of a six-person side project that would have consisted of soft rock material. When the project ended, it left behind a collection of unreleased songs on which Jimmy Eat World worked on for their next album. In March and April 1998, they supported the Promise Ring on their tour of the US.Smith ed. 1998a, p. 46 With Static Prevails failure, the members debated what independent record labels that could sign with after Capitol dropped them. To their shock, Aaronson told them that Capitol wanted to release a second album from the band.
Production After a week of pre-production, Jimmy Eat World began recording Clarity with Mark Trombino in May and June 1998; the band and Trombino shared the producer credit. Capitol gave the band freedom to do what they wanted in the studio; this is attributed to the label having no interest in them by this point. Recording started at Sound City in Van Nuys, California, with assistant engineer Nick Raskulinecz. The band chose this studio because they had previously gotten good drum sounds on Static Prevails; however, due to its expensive rate, the band only recorded drum tracks there. They spent ten days here before moving to Clear Lake Audio in North Hollywood, California, where they recorded overdubs and tracked guitars over 40 days. During the process, the band slept on the office floor of their manager Jorge Hinojosa. Adkins said the studio atmosphere was ripe for experimenting; ideas were explored if they helped the songs. He added, "I would think a song was totally finished and then one of the guys in the band or [Trombino] would bring up an idea that really closed the deal".
Jimmy Eat World approached the recording assuming they would not get the opportunity to make another album, and decided to include a variety of extra instrumentation. Adkins said while recording "Table for Glasses", the band learned "if you aren't doing a lot, it doesn't take a lot to get a big dynamic impact", citing the cello as a prime example. The band recorded two different drum sets for "Lucky Denver Mint", a first for the band. They liked the effect, and also used two sets on "Ten" and "Goodbye Sky Harbor". "Crush" was re-recorded during the sessions. Throughout the recording process, the band wrote more material, and made demos. Trombino mixed the songs at One on One South in Los Angeles, California, with assistant engineers Ron Rivera and Justin Smith, and at Music Grinder in Hollywood with assistant engineer Dean Fisher. Brian Gardner then mastered the album at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.
Composition and lyrics Clarity has been described as emo, pop-punk, and punk rock, with elements of chamber pop and electronica, and has been compared with the music of Bedhead. Journalist Dan Ozzi, in his book Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore 1994–2007 (2021), wrote that Clarity was a "sweeping epic of an album", which melded dense orchestral writing with quirky rock structures. He added that the album was far removed from the sound of the underground emo movement and from what was playing on the radio.Ozzi 2022, p. 97 Unlike previously, where the band did not move beyond their typical guitar-bass-drum setup, Clarity saw the band toy with a variety of other instrumentation, such as bells, cellos, chimes, organs, pianos, temple blocks, triangles, and violins. Adkins had been going through a developmental stage as a writing and as a performer, having adopted the frontman role during their live shows.Ozzi 2022, p. 96 Clarity marks the start of Adkins having more lead vocals than Linton. With the exception of the song "Blister", from this point onwards, Linton only provided backing vocals on some tracks until "Action Needs an Audience" on their seventh studio album, Invented (2010). Previously, Adkins and Linton introduced new material during band practices, but for Clarity, Adkins handled most of the songwriting. Some of the tracks, including "Table for Glasses" and "Goodbye Sky Harbor", were intended for the aforementioned side project. Susie Katayama assisted Adkins in writing and arranging the string parts for some of the songs.
Songs During breaks in touring in support of Static Prevails, Adkins worked at an art store, during which time he wrote "Table for Glasses". Adkins learned about shows that featured the work of local performance artists. Adkins was waiting for a friend's piece to begin when he noticed a girl clearing the area with the end of her dress. The girl moved and sat at a candle-lit table, where she removed dirt from her outfit. The slow-tempo song opens with a droning organ, followed by a shuffle beat, picked guitar notes, and concluding with a crescendo; the slowcore crawl and harmonies were influenced by the music of Low. "Lucky Denver Mint" was inspired by a night out in Las Vegas, Nevada, Adkins had with a friend; Adkins was too young to consume alcohol, and instead gambled, eventually spending all of his money. As a result, he spent the remainder of the night "walking around feeling lost".McMahon, ed. 2015, p. 19 The power pop song includes drum and guitar loops, and is bookended with a drum intro and outro, which were made by Trombino cutting up the drums.
According to Lind, "Your New Aesthetic" was originally a "very mellow" song but was turned into "a more aggressive, dark rock song". This version was named "Skeleton" because the guitar sections between the verses felt like horror film music to the band; it had different lyrics but Adkins thought he could improve upon them, and changed the lyrics to those of the mellow version. The final version is about the commercialization of radio, and unabashed conformity, showcasing the band's punk roots. "Believe in What You Want" is a Police-influenced post-punk track that talks about keeping in mind what is important to one's self, and not getting stuck with unimportant matters. Part of its lyrics refer to dealing with the process of being on a major label, influenced by their interactions on Capitol. On "A Sunday", the band focused on making the chorus sections sound softer and more intimate than the verses. Adkins felt the song's slower tempo helped let the "drums breathe". He wrote it after driving home to Phoenix following a weekend seeing his friends, while reminiscing about a girl. The track includes a Hammond B3 organ, which the band borrowed from Sylvia Massy. Lind theorized Adkins wrote "Crush" when he was living in Flagstaff, Arizona, due to the reference of snow.