Do you remember when Blink 182’s last album came out? I sure do. Everyone thought it would be Blink’s last album ever; mass hysteria ensued. I was in Florida visiting my grandparents and I demanded that we go to the mall so I could buy the album. Since it was the first album I bought with the “explicit content” label and because my CD was a different color than everyone else’s back home I felt like a little bad ass buying it. You can imagine my thirteen-year-old-self rocking out with my CD player at an old person’s community. Ben Brondsky was a little rebel back then.
Most people don’t consider Blink 182 their best album but it’s known for being a huge transition for Blink. The songs were darker, more intense, and not as much fun. The darkness is attributed to the chemistry between the band mates, which eventually led to their break up. The day they broke up my friends in middle school wore black and spelled out Blink 182. I’m sure some kids even cried.
Blink 182 regrouped in 2009 and performed their first show since the break up on May 14th of that year. They toured the rest of that year and started working on the new album. When famous bands take a long break and come back with an album the anticipation is always huge. “Can they replicate their original sound?” “Will there be catchy songs?” Or “will they deviate and make a totally different album?” This album seems to be a continuation of the journey they start with Blink 182 in 2003.
At first listen I thought I was hearing Angels & Airwaves. That’s not a bad thing; I have all of their albums as well as Box Car Racer’s, and +44’s. However, this isn’t an Angels & Airwaves album, it’s a Blink 182 album. Shouldn’t there be a difference? If someone definitely takes more control in this album it’s Tom. He has a bigger share of the vocals, with Mark singing the choruses most of the time. There are a few times where they interplay vocals and that’s enjoyable. The issues dealt within the album revolve around: love, lose, and overall despair. Although all of the members are now in their mid-thirties (Mark is almost 40), they still seem to be trying to find their way in life. They’re all married/divorced and have kids; is their life that difficult and confusing?
I don’t think I’m the only one who misses the old Blink 182. I understand they’re older and they won’t make as many obscene jokes anymore, but you can’t get better than “What’s My Age Again?” or “All the Small Things”. Perfect pop songs crafted in 2 and a half minutes. The closest they get to those songs are “Up All Night” and “After Midnight”; the first and second singles off the album.
The instrumentation is darker on a few songs, notably “Up All Night” and “Snake Charmer” where there are heavy-guitar driven moments. Keyboards and guitar layering are more present in this album. Travis Barker on the drums is also always present and consistently awesome. The normal album only runs 36:34 minutes but it seems a lot longer. After the first half of the album the songs start to seem very similar. I recommend buying the Deluxe Edition however, specifically because the song “Snake Charmer” is on it (as well as three additional songs).
It’s a decent effort and if it was a different band I might even like it more. However, since it’s associated with Blink 182 I just can’t get into it so far. Maybe it’ll become an album that grows on me, however it won’t replace their earlier albums. Because of the time period and the ages we all were when: Dude Ranch, Enema of the State and Take Off Your Pants and Jackets came out they’ll always be remembered. In the future I see this album being talked about as a tried effort that could have been better but fell short. It’s not Chinese Democracy (the ultimate letdown), but it won’t be remembered as a success. Overall rating: 6.5/10
Favorite Songs: “Up All Night”, “After Midnight”, “Wishing Well”
by Ben Brondsky, The Fleshy Fresh Intern