Today for my 1K I have an unofficial cover and then a song that is pretty much about nonsense. For the weekend I’ll be gone and most likely not writing, so if nothing gets done blame it on Andy. And if you love the posts more than anything else we’ve done then he probably asked me for input and/or I wrote most of it. But I kid.

29. Jon Solo – Blue Light (mp3) from the fan driven Blag Party as developed by Bloc Party (dot) net (3:05) [Time Remaining: 881:08]

We put up another piece of Blag Party this week in the Smörgåsbord and it prompted me to include this cover sooner. The original Blue Light is off one of my favorite albums of all time in Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm and is a standout track. One of the slower tracks on the album, whomever Jon Solo happens to be, slows and strips the song down further to acoustic guitars and ever more aching vocals. One of my favorite covers indeed.

30. Jimmy Eat World – Sweetness (mp3) from Bleed American (3:46) [Time Remaining: 877:22]

I’ve already written about one Jimmy Eat World effort as being an essential album. Right around the time I was enjoying that album I got this song, before the album was released. This version is actually a demo and different from what most have likely heard on the radio and on the disc. If my memory is correct I think the song was written but never actually intended for Bleed American. This is the only version I’ve ever kept on my computer since I found it way back when, because it is better. It is a more raw and emotional version without, what is in my opinion, far too much production on the cd version. I still love the song, and if I had never heard this demo, would probably love the album version as well. But you feel everything, including those irrational whoa-ohh’s, much more here.

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Certain albums I’ve listened to throughout my lifetime are biographical. I can recall details of events that took place during the time any particular music in question was prevalent in my daily routines and otherwise. When listening to that music again I can remember the feelings of whatever specific time I associate it with, whether caused by the music or enhanced by it. I remember the trivialities of my life at that point and where the music fit in. There is nothing else in the world that has this same overarching impact. I certainly don’t remember a period of my life based on some food that I ate. I don’t know if this qualifies me as crazy or if others have had similar experiences, but music has the ability to define entire periods of my life.

I associate Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity with the summer following my freshman year of college. The album had been out for a while (2009 is its ten year anniversary) when I became aware of the band. My great friend and future best-man introduced me to Jimmy Eat World’s music. Since I was a poor college student I had been unable to buy the record until the latter part of my freshman year. Prior to my delayed purchase of Clarity I had ripped Static Prevails and downloaded three or four Bleed American demos off of Napster before the service went down. So, I was familiar with the band’s older as well as (at that point) unreleased music. Admittedly the way I chose to listen to the band’s music is odd. I liked the demos quite a bit so I wanted to bridge the gap between the first and third albums.

I waited until I owned the physical album to consume it in its entirety. Over summer break I started working at a local amusement park, which is where I met my co-conspirator on this blog. I didn’t have a CD player in my car, but I did have an adaptor to connect my Sony Discman to the tape deck. Without hesitation I can say I listened to Clarity every single day on my way to and from work and nearly every other instance I drove my car. All of the feelings of that summer and this album are melded into each other so that when I think of one, the other immediately comes to mind. I can listen to the album again and again as it never gets old for me. I periodically pop it in but I always have to listen to it in its entirety. I have no trouble believing it will stay fresh for years to come. It is a versatile album with numerous highs and lows and it is altogether enchanting.

I love this album, and as per usual I had trouble deciding which tracks from it to share.

Jimmy Eat World – Table for Glasses (mp3)

Jimmy Eat World – Lucky Denver Mint (mp3)

Jimmy Eat World – Ten (mp3)