Blink182-Self titled, Is it a maturing of the band???

[tige19]

Just recently purchased the cd and having been a good 5/6 year fan ive really noticed what i ve been asking for in there music for a long time and that is a maturing of there sound.
After going through there cd over and over and studying the many different styles they seem to pump out in there latest cd it just become relevant to me how far this band has come.

Very rarely on this cd do you hear the boppy riffs that the 13 yr old mini skirt chicks love and less of vocal solos that attacked Enema of the State.
Overall the serious yet fun side of this band and has shone through and still producing the catchy choruses with heavy drums and strong bass, its a great listen.

What is you guys thoughts on the CD and the maturing of this band, also give me a rating out of 10 for me.

cheers

Rating 9/10

 

[Harvs29]

i bought this cd because i get into this mentality where i have to buy them to complete the set type of thing.
i first saw blink 182 at warped in san diego in, i think 1996. they played with millencolin, all, descendents, social distortion, pennywise and the bosstones. i liked the combo of drums and fast guitar.
i have given this cd 5 return trips to uni in the cd player to try to get it to grow on me and just cannot seem to do it.
it is not in the same league as cheshire cat or dude ranch..
i'd rate millencolin above them - particularly on most recent output. rating 5/10

 

[Zeke]

Blink 182 and 'Maturity' should not be used in the same sentence. They are teenybopper music at best.

 

[w00dy]

i have only heard a skim through this cd... it was nothing like what i expected, which was nice instead of having another teeny bopper album... but some of the songs were shockers, whilst others were pretty good... but nothing like dude ranch, it's a shame they can't recaputure the magic of that cd... it was a gem...

 

[DaveW]

Originally posted by Harvs29
i bought this cd because i get into this mentality where i have to buy them to complete the set type of thing.

I do that with CDs as well; most bands I get into I have just about all their albums.

After buying Enema of the State though, I made an exception for Blink 182.

 

[tige19]

Originally posted by Harvs29
i bought this cd because i get into this mentality where i have to buy them to complete the set type of thing.
i first saw blink 182 at warped in san diego in, i think 1996. they played with millencolin, all, descendents, social distortion, pennywise and the bosstones. i liked the combo of drums and fast guitar.
i have given this cd 5 return trips to uni in the cd player to try to get it to grow on me and just cannot seem to do it.
it is not in the same league as cheshire cat or dude ranch..
i'd rate millencolin above them - particularly on most recent output. rating 5/10

I agree with just about everything you say here mate except the rating .
It is very hard to reproduce such albums like Dude ranch and cheshire (Buddah to some) as these albums are done at different stages in these guys lives, and what music influences there sound will always change through the years.
Blink 182s latest effort is more than refreshing and with more of a deep rock sound with heavier guitar riffs and more of a emphasis on banging out some strong drums.
Blink 182 can just about tahnk Travis Barker soly for changing and keeping this technically sound, the guy is awesome and with some of his drum solos it makes you water at the mouth, i must say a far cry from the Scott Raynor days where drums where very predictable and basic.
Although the vibe on the newest effort is different to the party feel college sound Dude Ranch had, this CD is a showing of maturity in the 'MUSIC' which is great for fans and people alike.
Overall im happy with it and im a little dissapointed that there can be more people dislike it than enjoy.

cheers guys

 

[sog35]

tige 19 you made 2 good points about them being at a different point in their lives and Travis taking over on drums and they both go hand in hand IMHO.

If they had made Dude Ranch 2 then people would have criticised them for not developing their abilities and tastes.

There is a little bit of DR on Enema, but the major change is the more complex druming, rather than the stock standard off-beat drumming of Scott. Furthermore there is a little bit of Enema on TOYPAJ and finally a bit of TOYPAJ on selftitled.

I don't think they would have developed this far without Travis on the drums. I love their new CD, in fact it has moved their studio back catalouge into the CD stacker in the car.

 

[tige19]

The 1 thing that i am more and more impressed with is the way they have developed from buddah and cheshire. Noone can ever say this band lacked variety or rested on there morals, they have taken bits and pieces from there old sound, mixed in with some cool new retro sounds and hard guitars and made a fantastic tranisition from stock standard poppy punk rock to solid rock with a punkish pop twist.
Im still amazed at how many people label the band and throw them in unwarranted categorys. The guys are getting older and as they do grow there music will evolve. 1 thing everyone can be assured of is that there next album will be very different to self titled.
thanks for the comments Sog35

cheers

 

[beckybiglands]

i was a massive blink-182 fan, heck i even called myself beck-182, but i seriously stopped liking them once scott left, like people have been saying, travis came along and bad things happened... i miss scott i got a bra signed blink when i seen them in 96 i think it was... that actually might be worth something

I dunno if anyone else noticed but at the end of American Pie, even though Travis is in the movie, the credit have Scotts name there!

I haven't heard any of the new album yet, i told a friend to get it for me for christmas, in that case if its lame i wont have wasted any cash....

 

[Harvs29]

Originally posted by tige19
I agree with just about everything you say here mate except the rating .
It is very hard to reproduce such albums like Dude ranch and cheshire (Buddah to some) as these albums are done at different stages in these guys lives, and what music influences there sound will always change through the years.
Blink 182s latest effort is more than refreshing and with more of a deep rock sound with heavier guitar riffs and more of a emphasis on banging out some strong drums.
Blink 182 can just about tahnk Travis Barker soly for changing and keeping this technically sound, the guy is awesome and with some of his drum solos it makes you water at the mouth, i must say a far cry from the Scott Raynor days where drums where very predictable and basic.
Although the vibe on the newest effort is different to the party feel college sound Dude Ranch had, this CD is a showing of maturity in the 'MUSIC' which is great for fans and people alike.
Overall im happy with it and im a little dissapointed that there can be more people dislike it than enjoy.

cheers guys

fair enough not to agree.
thing is that dude ranch and cheshire cat were packages that you could immediately latch onto and enjoy. (i didn't rate the buddah cd very highly - i got it one christmas, listened to it a couple of times and dismissed it. not sure why. you bringing the name up might be the kick up the arse i need to go and have another listen to it.)
i guess my feel on it is that describing the new album as mature is a bit belittling of the previous efforts, dismissing them as a genre. i liked them for what they are - this effort doesn't quite cut it for me.
not sure if you were ever a bosstones fan but the mighty mighty bosstones had a few great albums early doors - really good fun cds. they were good cd's not too serious doing the stuff they did well with often amusing lyrics. then the impression that i get came out and their songs seemed to get too serious needing to express issues. that was the start of their demise in my eyes, blink-182's demise started with naming of the cd's enema of the state and take off your pants and jacket.
if you ask me, they are on the downward path. i'll keep trying to get the cd to grab a hold of me and an appreciation of their maturity to sweep over me but i just feel that their best has well and truly been.

separate entirely to the stuff above, have you ever seen them play live?
i reckon they come across much better on a stereo than they do live.

 

[go team]

stating an album indicates the maturing of a band's sound, is usually just the french way of saying it's really really boring...
it's almost as obvious as the "return to form" line - an admission that the mature sound didn't sell, so they're reverting back to the old formula to sell records again..

 

[Harvs29]

ok, had another listen.

dare i suggest it is a little bit jimmy eat world?

 

[tige19]

Originally posted by Harvs29
ok, had another listen.

dare i suggest it is a little bit jimmy eat world?

Yeah it the CD dare i say it is a little more technical music wise than previous efforts, all be it alot of it is portrayed by Travis Barker.
The point im trying to get across is that the group are evolving and maturing i mean lets face it they are pushing 30 now. To me there sound is still the fun poppy punk rock that got them where they are today but also a maturing of there lyrics and sound are starting to shine through.
ST is alot more rockier i think than TOFMPAJ and EOTS and a little more heavier which is a great variation from there usual sound, you have go to give them credit i mean not often will a band chop and change and have so much variation as Blink do.
I think 1 of the songs that really typifys how the band is growing is Track 12 'All of this', it is a slow deep song that features the vocal of the Cures Robert Smith.
I perosnally found the CD a little more rockier and deeper than anything the have done before. The variation on the record is what really gets me and is what i enjoy, there are cool little ballads there are fast drum based songs and the heavier bass and guitar songs.
Anyways its each to there own i suppose, oh and Harvs yeah i can smell the Jimmy Eat World on the cd to maybe its the 'Variation' that gets you .

cheers

 

[Yabba]

blink have gotten worse the longer they have gone on chesire cat and dude ranch are easily the best albums where as they have now gone pop-punk for $$$ and are doing it well but but give me untitled from dude ranch and wasting time from bhudda as their best songs

 

[Fwoy]

Well the AMG review seems to suggest you guys ae on the right track...BTW they gave the album 4 stars.


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. blink-182 put it off for as long as they could, but ten years into their career and two albums after their big breakthrough, 1999's Enema of the State, 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 blink-182. 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 blink-182 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 blink-182 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, blink-182 isn't as bracing or visceral as Dude Ranch or Enema, 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

 

[mattyc2422]

Some Blink 182 I can appreciate, most I don't. Just one of those bands I guess.

 

[leonmagic]

Got it the day it came out just like TOYPAJ & Enema of the State.

Hated it first time but its grown on me something chronic - best songs by a mile are Here's Your letter and Stockholm Syndrome.
As usual the lyrics are fantastic - they really should get more credit for their song writing ability, second to none IMO.
It's very 'un-blink' but I dare say it'll be their most successfull (sticking my neck out but we'll see) Have been a HUGE blink fan ever since Dude Ranch, so it'll be interesting to see how my judgement goes with this CD...

I give it 9/10.


BTW - Travis coming into Blink was the best thing that ever happened to them - the man is a freak. In fact, if u can give me a better drummer then I'll buy a Carlton jumper

 

[Harvs29]

Originally posted by leonmagic

BTW - Travis coming into Blink was the best thing that ever happened to them - the man is a freak. In fact, if u can give me a better drummer then I'll buy a Carlton jumper

i'd mention jon bonham but hell, i don't even know you and i still wouldn't feel right about you having to commit to a carlton jumper

 

[Carlos]

Originally posted by leonmagic
BTW - Travis coming into Blink was the best thing that ever happened to them - the man is a freak. In fact, if u can give me a better drummer then I'll buy a Carlton jumper

I'm gonna presume you mean in that whole power pop kinda style because to even say he is in the same league as the likes of Matt Cameron is just mind boggling!

But in terms of the similar genre, Body Jar's Ross Heatherington and NoFx's Erik Sandin sh*t all over him for speed, creativity and taste.

Barker has got chops, no doubt. He's added alot to Blink's sound and improved them musically, as well as apparently having a fair influence on the noticably different stuff they've recorded on their latest offering.

He does lay down some rather technical things in the studio. But he is one drummer who i'm tipping is mighty glad pro-tools and such recording trickery was developed, because he cannot cut it anywhere near as well live.

 

[mattyc2422]

Originally posted by Carlos
I'm gonna presume you mean in that whole power pop kinda style because to even say he is in the same league as the likes of Matt Cameron is just mind boggling!

Thankyou. Thankyou.
...oh, you mean that other Matt Cameron...my bad.

 

[Fwoy]

Well, after pretty much growing out of the band a few albums ago, I think they may have just dragged me back in. A pretty good album with a stronger, more mature content. No juvenile humour to be seen. Suprising to also hear Robert Smith appearing on the album.

Dare I say it, Blink 182 have gone EMO?

IMO, their best two tracks since Chesire Cat have been Adams Song and Stay Together for the Kids . Looks like they can now add to that list.

Good effort. Damn good effort!

 

[Disgustipated]

Originally posted by leonmagic
[

BTW - Travis coming into Blink was the best thing that ever happened to them - the man is a freak. In fact, if u can give me a better drummer then I'll buy a Carlton jumper [/B]

Danny Carey from TOOL. Go get your jumper!

 

[north_lad]

Originally posted by leonmagic
- best songs by a mile are Here's Your letter and Stockholm Syndrome.

eh?! stockholm syndrome is a muse song how odd. maybe its a cover or some such..