I remember a time when Blink 182 couldn't get arrested in the UK - or the US for that matter. It was back in 1999 when myself and another member of the Punktastic team would take our copies of 'Dude Ranch' and then 'Enema..' to our local indie club and beg the DJs to play some tracks. More often than not we'd get looked at blankly and when they did play them the dancefloor would empty. Of course fast forward 5 years, and several million album sales later, Blink are one of the biggest selling 'punk' bands ever. Infact they've done so well they've crossed over into the mainstream with ease and held their own. Not only have they done that, they've made countless great videos and inspired a stack of new bands, like The Descendents inspired them. Blink have pretty much done it all, from singing songs about girls to songs about fucking dogs. What next then, a serious record? You couldn't have predicted it could you...
So Mark, Tom and Travis spent the best part of a year holed up in a mansion coming up with new songs. There were rumours about hip-hop, Pharrell Williams...you name it, it was slated to happen. Not much of it did, except one thing - this is a 'different' record, like they promised. It's the sign of a band bored of where they were headed, a band probably inspired more by their modern day peers than their heroes, a band that are without doubt older and more mature than ever. I don't think it's a coincidence this album was written at the same time all three members became fathers. But is it any good? Well yeah, it is actually. It's not brilliant and certainly not their best album, but it's refreshing and interesting, something you don't always associate with a Blink album. It's adventurous, considered, thoughtful and shows a far more mature direction in musically. The trademark hooks are still there, but broken up with some amazing drum patterns that break the norm. It's also very much Tom's album - Mark is reduced to bass playing duties only on some songs and the downbeat and reflective nature of the songs mirror this, just like Tom's side-project Box Car Racer did.
Single 'Feeling This' kicks things off with a bang, probably the poppiest song on the record and sounds different to anything Blink have done before, yet never actually strays away from a 'safe' sound. The drums are clever, the guitar riffs build and the Tom/Mark harmonies are sublime; it's a song that makes a mark initially but continues to grow on you, of course the rather provactive video also helps. And that kind of sets the tone for the album, songs make an impression but grow on you the more you listen, ditching the instant buzz of the older material, making (in theory) an album you will come back to over time and find more interesting parts. And after nearly two weeks of listening, that's how I'm looking at this record. 'Obvious' drives and bites, the drums kick like a mule in a way only Travis can, while 'I Miss You' is Mark's first foray into singing, but is lacking lyrically. There are keys in there, samples, harmonies - it's all a bit more complex than the average Blink fan is probably used to. Sadly the track seems to fall down because it takes too long to build up, unlike 'Violence' which bites out with a harsh guitar riff which hacks away at the senses. The drums feature heavily again, while the bass playing seems to be done a lot better this time round.
The spoken word introduction to 'Stockholm Syndrome' wrecks the flow of the record, which is a bit too stop-start for my liking, but the song itself is a massive standout. Guitars and drums burst out all over the shop, the dual vocals work a treat - this is a song that needs to be played loud. 'Down' is awesome, the pre-chorus immense, it's just a pity the repetitive "down, down, down" refrain goes on too long. It's another of the tracks which builds and builds, before exploding with a wonderfully crafted hook which Blink are renowned for. But then there's the flow problem again when the hip-hop influenced 'The Fallen Interlude' showcases Travis' percussion skills. It's unneccessary really, breaking things up again when another song would have served better. Still, 'Go' is possibly the only song that could have featured on 'TOYPAJ' without too much trouble, a Mark-sung song that presses the accelerator flat to the floor and takes off around some machine gun drumming. Sadly 'Asthenia' slows things down again, ruining the flow of the album. I'm sure it's stop-start for a reason, almost rollercoaster-esque, but I would have put these songs in a different order. Once it does get going it's a great song, but there's 50-seconds of nothingness that annoys me.
'Always' uses a clever click-tracking drum tool while Mark has his first real bass-led intro, Tom again taking the lead vocal and 'Easy Target', another highlight', pushes things through a lot faster and Blink sound so much better for it. The dual vocals again work really well, and it's possibly the only track without any frills..there are no samples, no long and drawn out intros...it's just a song, and a good one at that, but it's the way it runs into 'All Of This', sung by Robert Smith of The Cure, which emphasises the new Blink 182. This song is perfect - it suits Robert's voice to a tee and even made me dig out some old Cure stuff. Of all the proposed collaborations, this was the only one that came off - and thank fuck it did. 'Here's Your Letter' picks the pace up and is another highlight, while the last 'proper' track (not including the UK bonus tracks 'Not New' and 'Anthem Part 2') 'I'm Lost Without You', uses a piano to create a really sombre mood. It's an ending which brings you down to Earth to reflect over what you have just heard. For once they may have got this song in the right place.
Blink have to be given a pat on the back for at least trying to do some different, even if it's not that far removed from some of their older stuff or from current popular music. 'Blink 182' could have been better and more adventurous, but let's not be too picky - it's better than TOYPAJ and the Box Car Racer record so in that respect it's a return to form, but not quite the Jesus-on-CD that some people have said. Buy it and make up your own mind, it's worthy of your cash.
www.blink182.com
Geffen Records
Paul
