Neighborhoods

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.