This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Mark the date on your calendar. Years from now emo purists will recall this as The Day Emo Died.
The beginning of the end happened five years ago when beloved Arizona outfit Jimmy Eat World signed to a major label — the equivalent of a punk getting a job at McDonald’s. Now, with their third big-league release, Jimmy Eat World have committed what’s sure to be seen as an even worse sin: They’ve made an album so commercially accessible it could make emo trendy. Bleed American is a sharp, confident album full of inspired songcraft, charged performances, textured production, heartfelt lyrics and more hard-hitting hooks than a prize fight. From the hard-charging, grunge-fuelled opening title cut through the angular churning guitars and soaring vocals of The Middle and Sweetness to the gently swirling balladry of My Sundown, Jimmy Eat World deliver one of the year’s most addictive and satisfying albums. The emo kids will hate it. You, on the other hand, should love it.
