Blink-182
Blink-182

THE REVIEW

Having achieved worldwide success with "Enema Of The State," this self-titled album also represents the last full-length effort for the combo that had been the flagship of pop-punk across the media of half the world for years before the negligible "Greatest Hits" and their definitive breakup. Or at least it represented that until the unexpected reconciliation of the three from San Diego and the announcement of the imminent reunion of Blink-182. As a result, Mark & Travis dissolved their project, +44, while Tom Delonge's Angels And Airwaves remain alive.

We are not faced with a group that excels particularly in technical skills—perhaps only the drummer offers something more—but rather a group capable of creating easy melodies and successful singles that have found fortune over the years.

Albums like the previously mentioned "Enema Of The State" and the subsequent "Take Off.." may be amusing for some, but instead, they turn out to be extremely boring due to their excessive repetitiveness, especially with almost all, if not all, photocopy songs. I have to admit, pop-punk is a pleasant and quite easy genre to the ear, but in the long run, it has become too inflated with bands copying each other as much as possible; thus, it was reasonable to expect some change (and I would add it was about time for the boys to step up and mature a bit) in this album.

Good heavens, we are certainly not facing drastic genre changes as has somewhat happened to their colleagues Sum 41 with the convincing "Chuck," yet the differences with the previous two are noticeable.

What precisely do these novelties consist of?

The album is much less carefree than the previous ones and indeed an atmosphere more somber and melancholic is felt in certain parts. But not only that, the musical fabric stands out significantly this time, being excellently curated and varied with well-matched melodic textures and fairly long instrumental parts like intros and/or outros spread throughout the tracks. And this is quite convincing, considering that the three from San Diego have always had the habit of using the same old arpeggio to open songs, without making any other rhythmic changes to the song structures.

It's a pity that the voices of Mark and Tom are still too anchored to the usual melodic tone without varying the slightest vocal register (more aggressive and decisive vocal segments are decidedly absent).

Naturally, there are also songs in the old style, examples being the excellent and energetic "Stockholm Syndrome," "Go," and "Feeling This" which this time turn out to be more interesting and genuine than those sometimes monotonous ones written previously.

The darker and gloomier side of the platter emerges from the trio's collaboration with The Cure's leader, Robert Smith in "All of This," a song that defining slow and dark would be an understatement, and the single-ballad where new sounds are experimented with through the use of the double bass in "I Miss You." A song that may or may not be liked, but which finally turns out to be "new" and spares us the usual irritating structure of pieces like "Adam's Song" and "Stay Together for the Kids."

The award for the most curious song goes to "Violence" not so much for the lyrics but for the choice of the particular background mix of the verses that contrasts with the vibrancy of the choruses in which guitars and drums make a return after being previously absent. There is no lack of stylistic falls, such as the instrumental interlude "The Fallen Interlude" and "Asthenia" just to reminisce about the past, with a tremendously brazen refrain. More successful in this sense is definitely track 2 "Obvious" in which we find some unusual heavy guitars with pseudo-metallic nuances that contrast with the singers' always melodic voices.

To be counted among the top along with "Stockholm Syndrome" is "Easy Target," which well describes the album's peculiarities with good work on guitar interweavings and an unsettling atmosphere that even brings to mind the Alkaline Trio.

The rating would be between three and four, but I'll still give four stars, considering that the previous two are insubstantial, in proportion to the progress made by the combo in the changes brought to their sound, which mark a turning point and avoid yet another photocopy album.

In conclusion, a good CD, a sign of the group's sonic evolution, which should be noted and which turns out to be convincingly good in many parts, although it might receive criticism from long-time fans while potentially expanding the listener base.

Many, six years ago, waited in vain for the follow-up to this platter, which had marked a sharp turn of 180° in their musical path, to see where this new maturity would lead. Well, in a few months, with the release of the new album of original material, there will be a clear answer on this matter.