Dude Ranch is Blink-182's second album and let me say right off the bat, that it's an amazing album. They took their punk rock sound in Cheshire Cat and amplified it ten fold. The music sounds a lot better than their older albums and I suppose it helps that it is now 1997 (damn I can hardly believe i was 6 when this album came out). I guess recording quality increased a lot in those short years.
Dude Ranch succeeds on all accounts as being the perfect follow up to Cheshire Cat. The main themes of the lyrics on the album mostly relate to relationships, growing up emotionally and knowing what you really need in a partner. Of course, along with these deep sentiments, there are also some elements of randomness within other songs. For example, the song Degenerate. That song is pretty much about a drunken night gone incredibly wrong followed by a series of unfortunate events that you just can't help but laugh at. Honestly, that song makes me laugh every time I hear it. If you're willing to listen to it then you'll understand why. Classic Blink with immature toilet humor. Vintage Blink, 'nuff said.
As far as songs that I can recommend, there are seven. I picked them because I feel they demonstrate what the album is about. They are: Pathetic, Apple Shampoo, Untitled, Dick Lips, Waggy, and finally Dammit. Oh, if you happen to be a Star Wars fan (as I am.....I'll get around to those movies...trust me) then I also recommend New Hope. I really like how creative Mark got with the lyrics. Anyway that's Dude Ranch.
As far as who I would recommend the album to, I'd say anyone who has an interest in Blink who can't handle Cheshire Cat's and Buddha's umm let's say "older" sound. It's an all around great album not just because it's a Blink-182 album. It's also a fantastic punk rock album.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Buddha and Cheshire Cat
Blink-182's debut album was Cheshire Cat (1994). Buddha wasn't released until 1998. Now I know it's kind of weird to be talking about 2 different albums in one review, but trust me, by the end of it you'll know why I chose to do things this way. I'll begin by discussing Cheshire Cat. Let's imagine that it's 1994.......wait that's actually kind of difficult for me to do as I was just 3 years old at the time...hmm, alright, scratch that thought!
As Cheshire Cat was the debut cd of this band, you probably would not expect it to be awesome. Well, you'd be right. The sound is pretty old fashioned and the guitars at times can be very difficult to listen to since often times they sound like static. That probably can be attributed to the fact that it was 1994 and sound quality really wasn't as great as it is today (where you can hear some dude sneezing in the background of a damn song sometimes).
The album itself is very punk rock as in very quick guitars and vocals. The album though has that key thing that makes Blink-182 so awesome...amazing lyrics. Most of the lyrics can be interpreted as having a coming of age theme. I like to think that it has a lot to do with your last year of high school, how things just change so quickly and how life differs after that year is over. There are some amazing songs that I base my interpretation on. Peggy Sue, Carousel, M+M's, Touchdown Boy, Does My Breath Smell?, and (my personal favorite) Wasting Time. Of course, there is the Blink-182 tradition of toilet humor and vulgarity which is present in the songs Depends, Ben Wah Balls, and Just About Done.
If you are curious about Blink-182's roots then I recommend this album. However if you don't really possess a real interest then I urge you to (at the very least) listen to those songs I listed (the non-vulgar ones of course!).
Now fast forward to 1998 when Buddha was released. It is the third album Blink released though technically it's actually one of the first things they ever recorded. For those who don't know, Buddha is a remastered version of a demo they made way back in 1993, which predated Cheshire Cat by about a year. In fact a lot of the songs on Buddha are on Cheshire Cat. Now for the most part the songs sound a bit better on Cheshire Cat, however there is one song that I personally prefer on Buddha. That song is Carousel. I believe Carousel has a lot of significance to the band as they still perform it. When they do I'm sure it's a nostalgic trip for them and for the fans. It's as if they're saying that no matter what we'll never forget our roots. That says a lot since so many bands change and forget what made them so great in the first place.
Buddha has mostly the same material as Cheshire Cat, but there are a few original songs that are worth checking into. My recommendations would be Time, Carousel (if only to hear the differences between the two versions) and my personal favorite, 21 days.
Now I know I said that their sound at this point isn't all that good, but again these are their humble beginnings, their roots. Beginnings are always messy, but for me their beginnings still impress me and to this day I still go back to listen to them.
As Cheshire Cat was the debut cd of this band, you probably would not expect it to be awesome. Well, you'd be right. The sound is pretty old fashioned and the guitars at times can be very difficult to listen to since often times they sound like static. That probably can be attributed to the fact that it was 1994 and sound quality really wasn't as great as it is today (where you can hear some dude sneezing in the background of a damn song sometimes).
The album itself is very punk rock as in very quick guitars and vocals. The album though has that key thing that makes Blink-182 so awesome...amazing lyrics. Most of the lyrics can be interpreted as having a coming of age theme. I like to think that it has a lot to do with your last year of high school, how things just change so quickly and how life differs after that year is over. There are some amazing songs that I base my interpretation on. Peggy Sue, Carousel, M+M's, Touchdown Boy, Does My Breath Smell?, and (my personal favorite) Wasting Time. Of course, there is the Blink-182 tradition of toilet humor and vulgarity which is present in the songs Depends, Ben Wah Balls, and Just About Done.
If you are curious about Blink-182's roots then I recommend this album. However if you don't really possess a real interest then I urge you to (at the very least) listen to those songs I listed (the non-vulgar ones of course!).
Now fast forward to 1998 when Buddha was released. It is the third album Blink released though technically it's actually one of the first things they ever recorded. For those who don't know, Buddha is a remastered version of a demo they made way back in 1993, which predated Cheshire Cat by about a year. In fact a lot of the songs on Buddha are on Cheshire Cat. Now for the most part the songs sound a bit better on Cheshire Cat, however there is one song that I personally prefer on Buddha. That song is Carousel. I believe Carousel has a lot of significance to the band as they still perform it. When they do I'm sure it's a nostalgic trip for them and for the fans. It's as if they're saying that no matter what we'll never forget our roots. That says a lot since so many bands change and forget what made them so great in the first place.
Buddha has mostly the same material as Cheshire Cat, but there are a few original songs that are worth checking into. My recommendations would be Time, Carousel (if only to hear the differences between the two versions) and my personal favorite, 21 days.
Now I know I said that their sound at this point isn't all that good, but again these are their humble beginnings, their roots. Beginnings are always messy, but for me their beginnings still impress me and to this day I still go back to listen to them.
Monday, September 26, 2011
My Blink-182 Retrospective
As I've probably said already Blink-182 is my all time favorite band. I remember the first time I ever had the pleasure of listening to them, I was in 5th grade and my cousin was talking about this band he heard on the radio. He really liked them and thought that I should listen to them if i ever got the chance. A few days later I had the opportunity to hear them on the radio. A couple of months later the two of us actually tried AND succeeded in getting copies of their "Take Off your Pants And Jacket" album, however, due to the umm... let's say "nature" of some of the lyrics, we ended up having our cd's taken away....
ANYWAY regardless of that event, I hadn't forgotten about Blink-182 and in the years after that incident I remained a fan and bought as many albums as I could.
The first one I bought was their self titled one from 2003. I loved the entire album and it inspired me to reclaim my "lost" cd and eventually buy all the ones that came before.
Now I was a happy little Blink fan until the fateful day came when I heard that they had broken up...I remember how shocked and deeply saddened I was about this turn of events. I even cried for a bit. However, hope was not lost because soon enough Angels and Airwaves and +44 came out. I bought their albums too and although it wasn't Blink, I found myself loving those unique sounds which were born from the death of my favorite band. Of course years later Blink got back together and once again I was a happy camper!!
Well after that looong trip down memory lane, I feel compelled to discuss why I like Blink-182 so much. It is because of their lyrics. Blink has such depth and I honestly don't think people give them enough credit for that. A lot of people that I've spoken with refer to them as either the "all the small things guys" or "those guys who ran naked for some reason". YES they sing "All The Small Things" and YES they ran around naked for the music video of "What's My Age Again" but they are so much more than that. SO MUCH MORE. There is a hidden level of meaning behind a lot of their songs. Take my favorite song by them "Everytime I Look For you", there is so much within that song, so many stories that can be told and it can be interpreted in so many different ways (interesting fact about me, that song is what inspired me to want to teach myself to play bass...which I do, badly). Another example would be "Stockholm Syndrome" so much meaning behind such a short song. Its amazing really.
I suppose one could gather that I relate to pretty well to almost all of their songs. Blink-182 is much more to me than just some band. They are an inspiration with words of wisdom. Words I can and probably will always relate to.
I can't really convey how excited I am about their new album "Neighborhoods" which comes out tomorrow. I've heard two songs off of that album: "Up All Night" and "After Midnight". These songs build upon the sound that their 2003 album had and really demonstrate the growth that Tom, Mark, and Travis have gone through musically. I know I'm doing an awful job of conveying that, however this post is just a trip down memory lane and doesn't really have much in the way of a review. I can guarantee that once "Neighborhoods" is released, and I have had enough time to process and digest the album thoroughly, I will be reviewing that album and all of their albums (even Angels and Airwaves and +44's albums).
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this and have a great day!!
I figure it couldn't hurt to place some links to the songs I've mentioned. Who knows you just might like them if you don't already.
ANYWAY regardless of that event, I hadn't forgotten about Blink-182 and in the years after that incident I remained a fan and bought as many albums as I could.
The first one I bought was their self titled one from 2003. I loved the entire album and it inspired me to reclaim my "lost" cd and eventually buy all the ones that came before.
Now I was a happy little Blink fan until the fateful day came when I heard that they had broken up...I remember how shocked and deeply saddened I was about this turn of events. I even cried for a bit. However, hope was not lost because soon enough Angels and Airwaves and +44 came out. I bought their albums too and although it wasn't Blink, I found myself loving those unique sounds which were born from the death of my favorite band. Of course years later Blink got back together and once again I was a happy camper!!
Well after that looong trip down memory lane, I feel compelled to discuss why I like Blink-182 so much. It is because of their lyrics. Blink has such depth and I honestly don't think people give them enough credit for that. A lot of people that I've spoken with refer to them as either the "all the small things guys" or "those guys who ran naked for some reason". YES they sing "All The Small Things" and YES they ran around naked for the music video of "What's My Age Again" but they are so much more than that. SO MUCH MORE. There is a hidden level of meaning behind a lot of their songs. Take my favorite song by them "Everytime I Look For you", there is so much within that song, so many stories that can be told and it can be interpreted in so many different ways (interesting fact about me, that song is what inspired me to want to teach myself to play bass...which I do, badly). Another example would be "Stockholm Syndrome" so much meaning behind such a short song. Its amazing really.
I suppose one could gather that I relate to pretty well to almost all of their songs. Blink-182 is much more to me than just some band. They are an inspiration with words of wisdom. Words I can and probably will always relate to.
I can't really convey how excited I am about their new album "Neighborhoods" which comes out tomorrow. I've heard two songs off of that album: "Up All Night" and "After Midnight". These songs build upon the sound that their 2003 album had and really demonstrate the growth that Tom, Mark, and Travis have gone through musically. I know I'm doing an awful job of conveying that, however this post is just a trip down memory lane and doesn't really have much in the way of a review. I can guarantee that once "Neighborhoods" is released, and I have had enough time to process and digest the album thoroughly, I will be reviewing that album and all of their albums (even Angels and Airwaves and +44's albums).
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this and have a great day!!
I figure it couldn't hurt to place some links to the songs I've mentioned. Who knows you just might like them if you don't already.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Kill Bill (My First Review)
I figure my first review should be a movie that I know fairly well. I LOVE Kill Bill. It is in fact one of my favorite movies of all time. Now anyone that is even remotely familiar with the films will think "WAIT there are two movies, AREN'T THERE?! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU"RE TALKING ABOUT!!" and to that I say that you'd be half right. There are two films with Kill Bill in the title, however, they are not sequels to each other. In fact, the Kill Bill movies are one story split into two distinct parts, or in this case "volumes", each with its own unique way of telling the story.
Now, for those unfamiliar with why such heavy amounts of gore is fair game in this film, allow me to sum up the plot as revealed in the first volume. The Bride is on a quest for vengeance after nearly being shot to death at her wedding by a man named Bill and his squad of professional assassins. Needless to say, when The Bride recovers, she is hell bent on exacting revenge on every single person involved with her near-death experience. This is pretty much all anyone needs to know when watching Volume 1. Plot is not something that comes in plentiful amounts, but the movie more than makes up for that with insane action scenes and kick ass confrontations. It's an action masterpiece and all the fight scenes are incredibly well done.
I also have to give credit to the film's soundtrack. The music does a fantastic job of showing the audience what inspired Quentin Tarantino in making this movie. It borrows elements from a lot of old school martial arts movies. It even pays homage to plenty of those iconic Kung Fu movies from the '70's. Hell during the fight scene I described earlier, The Bride is wearing a costume identical to Bruce Lee's from "Game of Death". All of these elements blend together beautifully and give the audience something unique, which can still be appreciated even eight years after it was made.
Now I've talked with a few people about Volume 2 and I always hear them say that they prefer Volume 1. To me, that's like saying that you like half of one movie. Sure Kill Bill is separated into two volumes, two separate DVDs, but they are meant to be viewed together. I've always wanted a release where that's an actual option. Now I know that I could just as easily pop in one movie and then pop the next one in right after, but it just wouldn't give the feeling of viewing a double feature as in the older days of cinema.
If you have not seen Kill Bill then I strongly urge you to watch it. You won't be disappointed.
Anyway, thanks for reading my first review and have a great day!
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