'It's how the hustle goes, see what the juke box knows' by @diaryofaledger

First up, I fricking love this album.  It's a bit lightweight at times, pretty throwaway in others and the world did not stop in awe at it's brilliance but it has its gems.  Lots of them.

Back when there was a channel called MTV2 on your telly box that wasn't a pile of unadulterated drivel they played quite a lot of excellent music.  Ok they'd still play the same ten songs in rotation but at least they were decent tunes.  One of those was The Middle by Jimmy Eat World.

Bleed America Bleed came out in 2001, promptly caused an uproar with its title and was repressed in 2002 without it.  The Middle got heavy rotation on MTV2 and that was about it in terms of interest over here.  I was in some kind of, 'MUST HAVE ALL MUSIC EVER MADE,' melt down and went and got the album that was by then self titled.

The opening of Salt Sweat Sugar hooked me in big time, immediately heavy, although in that kind of gentle, non threatening way, with lyrics about top soil.  That kind of mental always gets me.

I guess it is an album full of mid twenties American angst but it's a fun ride.  There's sort of a 50s vibe in some of the words too, although musically it's indie lite and all about the jangle of guitars.

Top tracks?  Well that opener is hard to beat but A Praise Chorus that follows it is a great rock song and The Middle will still make you smile.

But... Sweetness is my fave Jimmy Eat World song, all noise and harmonies.  It takes me back to those early Queen albums with stuff like In The Lap of the Gods on them.  And the words are aces too.

String from your tether unwinds,
Up and outward to bind,
I was spinning free,
With a little sweet and simple numbing me.

It goes through a little mid album slump as it descends into cheese.  However things soon pick back up with the brilliant and uber feisty Get it Faster.

I wanna do right by you,
I'm finding out that cheating gets it faster.

After the rather cloying efforts at a few love songs mid album they nail it with the lovely Cautioners, one of the saddest break up songs I've ever heard.  I won't put the lyrics up because someone will, inevitably, think they're aimed at them (which they really wouldn't be) but for the rest of you, go Spotify it.  Lovely lovely song.

And then with barely a beat missed it's Authority Song.  Probably the reason I fell in love with this album if truth be told.  It's me at seventeen (I mean eighteen... obviously), gracing the pubs of the Isle of Wight putting coins into Jukeboxes in awful pubs.

For an album that's so full of life it's a shock when it ends with the slow and sad My Sunshine.  But it fits perfectly after the energy of Authority Song.

It's not an album that's gonna change your world but hey, get it anyway.  There's something on there for everyone to love.

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