Blink 182 "Blink 182" Album

	Title: Blink 182 Format: Album Label: Geffen Records Released: 2003-11-18
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Tracklisting & Lyrics

Reviews

There comes a time in every punk's life where he or she has to grow up, or at least acknowledge that maturity is just around the corner. put it off for as long as they could, but ten years into their career and two albums after their big breakthrough, 1999's , they decided to make a stab at being grown-ups for their eponymous sixth studio album. As with many self-titled albums, the trio uses this as an attempt to redefine itself, and they have considerably expanded both their sonic template and lyrical outlook on . They're still rooted in punk-pop, but even songs that stretch no further than that sound are a little darker, a little restless, reflecting the overall mood of the record. In shorthand, this is the record where delve into post-punk, opting for some appealingly sullen moodiness, off-kilter hooks, lots of sonic textures, and even a duet with the Cure's Robert Smith. Since the trio is an inherently catchy group, this is a far cry from neo-post-punk groups like Interpol or even the dynamically hooky Hot Hot Heat, but there is a greater variety of sounds on than on any of the trio's other albums, and the songwriting is similarly adventurous, alternating punchy, impassioned punk-pop with weirder, atmospheric pieces like "Down" and "I'm Lost Without You." If nothing on the album has the immediate impact of "All the Small Things" -- though the opener, "Feeling This," comes close -- and if, on the whole, isn't as bracing or visceral as or , so be it: there's more to explore on this album than any of their other records. It's an unexpected and welcome maturation from a band that just an album ago seemed permanently stuck in juvenalia. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide.

While Blink-182's pop-punk has given more than its share of entertaining moments over their career, "sonic experimentation" is hardly what you'd expect from their sixth studio album. Within their guitar-bass-drums template, however, they offer moments of playfulness and lyricism that stretch their definition of sound. The tempo changes and uses of (relative) silence in "Violence" and "Stockholm Syndrome" borrow post-punk conventions, and lend a new feel to the band's trademark cranked-upness. (The use of treated piano on the latter song also suggests that they’ve bent an ear to a few psychedelic-pop classics in their time.) As with 2001's Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, a theme of loneliness emerges upon the first couple of listens, but this time it feels as if Blink wants to connect it to something larger than before. Growth from the guys who once jokingly celebrated man-on-dog intercourse? Yeah. And best of all, it's worth hearing. ~Rickey Wright, Amazon.com.

The punk rock is not what it used to be. Remember, when it was originally conceived by men now very old it was intended to be a "live fast, die young" genre that would make its mark, tear up the scene, and then go on its merry way. But instead it lingered and was taken up by subsequent generations who have each made the music tamer, friendly and more career-oriented. This isn't such a bad thing. "Feeling This" or "I Miss You" both pulsate with enough inner song to make nice radio trinkets and many of the "seminal" punk bands from the early days purposely made horrible sounding records, which is really an odd idea when you consider that music is something intended to be listened to and not just read off a lyric sheet and made into a manifesto. It's as if Blink 182 found love and realized that nothing else really mattered. How else can you write a song such as "I'm Lost Without You"? It carries a different sentiment than "Anarchy In The UK" or "Caught With The Meat In Your Mouth," doncha think? ~Rob O'Connor, LAUNCH.