I don't think there are words that properly describe just how excited I was to hear that after all this time with Blink not making music, that finally they were making a new album. Now with all that excitement there was also some fear. Would Blink lose their unique identity? Would this new album sound more like Angels and Airwaves? Did they still have it in them to create another amazing album? Had too much time passed? I'm happy to say that all my fears have been alleviated. Since the album came out and I received my copy, I've been listening to it nearly nonstop. Simply put, I love this album. I had a lot of expectations for it and somehow Blink-182 just blew me away. Essentially they took their sound established in 2003 and used that as a springboard to evolve it into something even more unique. There are elements of everything Tom, Mark, and Travis have done over the years of being apart which blends together beautifully. I don't think there was any other way to make this album better.
Properly describing this sound is difficult for me. As I stated earlier it's a fresh new sound stemming from the work they made in 2003. What is amazing however is that this album shows just how radically different Mark, Tom, and Travis are nowadays. This album is more than a blend of ideas. It's also a compromise so to speak. Take "Ghost On The Dance Floor" as an example. The beginning sounds like something that belongs on an Angels And Airwaves album. Yet as soon as you hear Travis' drumming come in you know it's Blink. The combination of Tom, Mark and Travis' differences is what really makes this album come alive. I know I'm not making much sense but trust me if you listen to this album knowing what happened before it, you'll understand.
I believe it was Mark Hoppus who said in an interview that he thinks this is the best Blink-182 record. After much thought I agree with him entirely. I believe this because if it's one thing this album has in vast amounts, its creativity. The level of it is so damn high. I LOVE it. it doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard before and yet it sounds just like the Blink-182 I know and love. This is the band that I grew up with and learned from. The band that impacted my life and made me wanna teach myself to horribly play bass (which i should get back to doing hmm). The band that always had a song that I could relate to no matter how I was feeling. I'm glad Blink-182 is back. I hope they continue to make great music for years to come.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Self Titled and Greatest hits
Ahh Blink-182's self titled album. Memories are just flowing back to me. I remember listening to this album in it's entirety one summer while I was home playing some games. I have a lot of memories tied to this album. First, it was the second Blink-182 album I ever listened and the first i bought (I wouldn't own Take Off your Pants And Jacket for another 2 years.....damn what the hell was I thinking waiting like that?!). I remember how my friends and I discussed how great this album was. For me it was everything I remembered about Blink amplified to a whole new level.
I know i said in my earlier reviews that Blink had a punk sound. I described it as such to give a newcomer a way to gauge what to expect from early Blink-182. With this album however, they established a new level of sound. I know that's redundant but try listening to Take Off Your Pants And Jacket and then listen to this album and you'll know exactly what I mean. I feel like this album was Blink beginning to grow up. It sounds radically different from their earlier works and yet retains that Blink quality. There are all sorts of new elements to it. Darker lyrics, more romantic lyrics, sounds of outer space which combine together for a truly unique blend that no one else can mimic (not to mention their new kick-ass smiley face logo that I cannot get enough of!!).
The most difficult thing i find when trying to discuss music is describing the sound. I mean how many different ways can you explain how a song sounds? For me it's damn near impossible. I tend to over-think things and this is no exception. I feel that the moment you label a band as something that you're indirectly limiting the amount of creativity and diversity from their records. For that reason I don't like to label music by genre or by anything really. Either I like it, love it, or hate it like the plague. As I said earlier, the only reason I even used the words "punk" or "pop punk" in my earlier reviews was to give newcomers an idea of what to expect. Anyway, I'm starting to ramble here......Blink-182's self titled album is by far one of their best simply because of the new level of sound and maturity they've established. I feel that everyone should listen to and give it a try if you haven't already.
OH I almost forgot to discuss their Greatest Hits album. There really isn't much that can be said about it. All it is is their popular songs put on a single album with a couple of bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are why you would want to get this album. "Not Now" is in my opinion one of Blink's truly unique songs in that you can kind of form a story while listening to it. You know whenever I think of their Greatest hits album it kind of makes me sad because it reminds me of how i felt when I found out that Blink-182 broke up...I think that just makes the album as a whole bittersweet to an extent. Anyway that is all i have to say on that.
I know i said in my earlier reviews that Blink had a punk sound. I described it as such to give a newcomer a way to gauge what to expect from early Blink-182. With this album however, they established a new level of sound. I know that's redundant but try listening to Take Off Your Pants And Jacket and then listen to this album and you'll know exactly what I mean. I feel like this album was Blink beginning to grow up. It sounds radically different from their earlier works and yet retains that Blink quality. There are all sorts of new elements to it. Darker lyrics, more romantic lyrics, sounds of outer space which combine together for a truly unique blend that no one else can mimic (not to mention their new kick-ass smiley face logo that I cannot get enough of!!).
The most difficult thing i find when trying to discuss music is describing the sound. I mean how many different ways can you explain how a song sounds? For me it's damn near impossible. I tend to over-think things and this is no exception. I feel that the moment you label a band as something that you're indirectly limiting the amount of creativity and diversity from their records. For that reason I don't like to label music by genre or by anything really. Either I like it, love it, or hate it like the plague. As I said earlier, the only reason I even used the words "punk" or "pop punk" in my earlier reviews was to give newcomers an idea of what to expect. Anyway, I'm starting to ramble here......Blink-182's self titled album is by far one of their best simply because of the new level of sound and maturity they've established. I feel that everyone should listen to and give it a try if you haven't already.
OH I almost forgot to discuss their Greatest Hits album. There really isn't much that can be said about it. All it is is their popular songs put on a single album with a couple of bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are why you would want to get this album. "Not Now" is in my opinion one of Blink's truly unique songs in that you can kind of form a story while listening to it. You know whenever I think of their Greatest hits album it kind of makes me sad because it reminds me of how i felt when I found out that Blink-182 broke up...I think that just makes the album as a whole bittersweet to an extent. Anyway that is all i have to say on that.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Take Off Your Pants And Jacket
Ahh, my favorite album by Blink-182. Aside from being the most mysterious of their albums, I also feel that it is the album with the most to say. A lot of the songs have a strong feeling of rebellion and just trying to survive in an oppressive world. Take "Anthem Part Two" for instance, this is a song about how screwed up things are and that adults are to blame for how messed up the world is. Pretty deep wouldn't you say? "Stay Together For the Kids" comes from this album and its no grand secret that it is about divorce and the effects it has on the most important people involved, the kids.
This is the album that cemented Blink's status as my all time favorite band. I say this because well...it's the album where I recognized their lyrical depth and with every song that played I related to their words. I understood them so well except for "Happy Holidays, You Bastard". I still haven't found any reason to just curse out Christmas since it's fun for me, but the song makes me laugh because of the memories it reminds me of (this was the song that got the album taken from me in 5th grade!).
I mentioned earlier how this is one of their most mysterious albums. I say that because originally the album was released as a Pants version, a Jacket version, and a Take Off version. Each version had their own bonus tracks which are not the versions that followed. These bonus tracks were really difficult for me to find but when I did it was one of the greatest victories I've ever had. The bonus songs vary quite differently from the songs on the album. They actually sound a lot more like something that could be put on Dude Ranch. Some songs are also very verrry peculiar and yet as with most of Blink's ridiculous songs, hilarious to listen to if you are in the proper mindset. Otherwise, it may gross you out.
Now as for any songs I recommend. I have to say that I cannot recommend a single one of them. I feel the entire album is worth listening to....MULTIPLE TIMES!!!
This is the album that cemented Blink's status as my all time favorite band. I say this because well...it's the album where I recognized their lyrical depth and with every song that played I related to their words. I understood them so well except for "Happy Holidays, You Bastard". I still haven't found any reason to just curse out Christmas since it's fun for me, but the song makes me laugh because of the memories it reminds me of (this was the song that got the album taken from me in 5th grade!).
I mentioned earlier how this is one of their most mysterious albums. I say that because originally the album was released as a Pants version, a Jacket version, and a Take Off version. Each version had their own bonus tracks which are not the versions that followed. These bonus tracks were really difficult for me to find but when I did it was one of the greatest victories I've ever had. The bonus songs vary quite differently from the songs on the album. They actually sound a lot more like something that could be put on Dude Ranch. Some songs are also very verrry peculiar and yet as with most of Blink's ridiculous songs, hilarious to listen to if you are in the proper mindset. Otherwise, it may gross you out.
Now as for any songs I recommend. I have to say that I cannot recommend a single one of them. I feel the entire album is worth listening to....MULTIPLE TIMES!!!
Enema Of The State and The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back)
Enter Travis Barker. This is Blink's first album with their new drummer. I'm not quite sure if the average Blink fan would even know that Travis wasn't always the drummer. In fact it may interest you to know that Scott Raynor was their original drummer. Of course eventually he left the band which led Mark and Tom to get Travis to replace him.
With this change, the band went to a more pop-punk sound in Enema Of The State. A lot of their songs became more catchy. This is probably what led to their mainstream success with this album. Now people who once went like "What, Blink-18who?!" went to "YEAAH Blink-182!! (those naked guys!!)". Does this success mean that they sacrificed their meaningful lyrics that made me love them in the first place? The simple answer is NO. Thankfully having a new drummer and changing their sound a bit didn't really impact the depth of their lyrics. Their words still carry many meanings and from them you can draw deeper interpretations.
Enema Of The State is the album that pretty much changed everything for Blink. A new drummer, a new sound, and a brand new start. The songs retain their familiar Blink style and yet have something different. The themes vary wildly from love, aliens and suicide to growing up, partying and rebelling. "Adam's Song" in particular is one of the heaviest songs the band has made. It pertains to suicide and yet by the end of it it has a slightly more hopeful feeling. They also branched out with the use of different instruments such as a synthesizer in "Wendy Clear". Oh and let me speak briefly about "What's My Age Again", probably one of the more popular songs. It has an incredibly catchy sound and yet if you really break down the lyrics you can come up with some amazing interpretations. It's a different album from their older ones. Different yet still excellent.
As far "as songs I recommend I'd say: "Dumpweed", "Aliens Exist", "Adam's Song", "Mutt", "Wendy Clear", and "Anthem".
Alright now time to talk about The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show, their only live album. I think it was a smart move to release it the year after Enema. I say this because there are in fact quite a few songs from their older albums on it. I kinda feel like this is their way of saying HEY we got a new drummer but guess what we can still play our older songs just as well as we used to. Also this album is heavy with their witty vulgar humor. You really have to go in expecting some disgusting and yet oddly enough hilarious banter between Mark and Tom.
It's really cool to hear the differences in how they perform the recorded versions of their songs and their live ones. There is one song on the album that is recorded, as in not live, "Man Overboard". It's one of my favorite songs by them. It reflects the style of Enema by being both catchy yet deep. I'm sure if you listen to it you'll understand why. It tells a story that I'm sure most people can relate to which is the loss of a friend.
Finding this album, in a physical form, can prove to be a little tough, but I'm sure if you search really hard for it you'll eventually find it as I did.
With this change, the band went to a more pop-punk sound in Enema Of The State. A lot of their songs became more catchy. This is probably what led to their mainstream success with this album. Now people who once went like "What, Blink-18who?!" went to "YEAAH Blink-182!! (those naked guys!!)". Does this success mean that they sacrificed their meaningful lyrics that made me love them in the first place? The simple answer is NO. Thankfully having a new drummer and changing their sound a bit didn't really impact the depth of their lyrics. Their words still carry many meanings and from them you can draw deeper interpretations.
Enema Of The State is the album that pretty much changed everything for Blink. A new drummer, a new sound, and a brand new start. The songs retain their familiar Blink style and yet have something different. The themes vary wildly from love, aliens and suicide to growing up, partying and rebelling. "Adam's Song" in particular is one of the heaviest songs the band has made. It pertains to suicide and yet by the end of it it has a slightly more hopeful feeling. They also branched out with the use of different instruments such as a synthesizer in "Wendy Clear". Oh and let me speak briefly about "What's My Age Again", probably one of the more popular songs. It has an incredibly catchy sound and yet if you really break down the lyrics you can come up with some amazing interpretations. It's a different album from their older ones. Different yet still excellent.
As far "as songs I recommend I'd say: "Dumpweed", "Aliens Exist", "Adam's Song", "Mutt", "Wendy Clear", and "Anthem".
Alright now time to talk about The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show, their only live album. I think it was a smart move to release it the year after Enema. I say this because there are in fact quite a few songs from their older albums on it. I kinda feel like this is their way of saying HEY we got a new drummer but guess what we can still play our older songs just as well as we used to. Also this album is heavy with their witty vulgar humor. You really have to go in expecting some disgusting and yet oddly enough hilarious banter between Mark and Tom.
It's really cool to hear the differences in how they perform the recorded versions of their songs and their live ones. There is one song on the album that is recorded, as in not live, "Man Overboard". It's one of my favorite songs by them. It reflects the style of Enema by being both catchy yet deep. I'm sure if you listen to it you'll understand why. It tells a story that I'm sure most people can relate to which is the loss of a friend.
Finding this album, in a physical form, can prove to be a little tough, but I'm sure if you search really hard for it you'll eventually find it as I did.
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