Blink-182 [ARCHIVED] Band • Page 664

Haha. I had the exact same thought this morning.

 

Maybe it's because I'm a Matt Skiba fanboy, and I don't like to say it, but there are times on this album where Mark is almost an afterthought. Frankly, Skeebs kills it.

 

That said, Mark still does a great job himself. Don't even get me started on the harmonies on this album. Mm, they make my loins quake!

 

I will not fold.

 

Am I safe to say I'd rather hear California close a set rather than Dammit??!!

 

What is the fascination with the floor on this album?
This is where I question John Feldman's encouragement of coming up with lyrics on the spot. It's all just a bit too repetitive...

She’s Out Of Her Mind:

Take your eyes off the floor
And threw herself on the floor

No Future:

Slips beneath the floor
Sleeping on the floor

Rabbit Hole:

Dreaming down on the floor

San Diego:

Smashed across the hardwood floors

 

Also, I can handle some whoa's, oh's, and na's but they are way overdone on this album. It feels like the hooks are crafted really well but then the structures and afterthoughts get really repetitive. Too many of those whoa's and gang vocals everywhere. They take some great choruses and apply the same treatment to all of them.

 

i get the whole "lightning in a bottle" aspect they were going for and I'm sure it was such a great feeling for them to pump these songs out but I agree. You can't help but think that letting these songs sit a little while longer would have done them wonders- a lot of it feels half cooked. I don't blame them though and I completely understand why they wanted to get music out - it's just a bit disappointing.

 

90s pop punk man. 90s pop punk.

 

Yeah, this album is definitely their weakest imo... It sounds so safe and generic.. I thought I may be crazy but I played it for my friends at a get together tonight and they thought is was pretty meh as well...

 

Imagine if the band never said anything about how they wrote some of the songs relatively quickly. Things like Going Away to College, Dammit, and Rock Show. Imagine what people would think of those songs.

 

What does that justify?

 

Those songs still blow this record out of the water

 

Why there are "woahs" in a lot of the songs.

 

I get your point but I don't agree with it. When those songs were released we had never heard blink perfect heavily produced pop punk. Those were the first of their kind and they were at the top of their game. It's 2016 and these songs are pale imitations. Is that not a valid point?

 

They really don't. The memories attached to them may make people like them more. It's cool you don't like it, but your claims of generic pop punk are literally what I read about those very songs 20 years ago.

 

No they weren't. You not being aware of the music didn't make it non-existent. Good news: fantastic music exists for you to go discover.

 

If you think pop punk starts or ends with any of the bands in this post ... that's kinda my entire point.

 

It's an agree to disagree argument cause personally I would guarantee that none of these songs will ever be as memorable as the ones you mentioned. However, I could be very wrong. I mean, I wasn't too fond of No Future yesterday morning, and that's now one of my favorites lol. But yeah, the fact that I played it for casual blink listeners and they shared my same opinion helps me stand by my thoughts. I do get why people like and even love this record, it's just not my cup of tea unfortunately.

 

But they will be to a new fan, the new you, who will make this same claim in 10 years to someone else. That's my entire point. And while your few friends may confirm that for you, the massive sales and tour ahead confirm reality.

 

It wasn't really my point anyway we are getting side tracked - I was talking exclusively about blink-182. The question is years from now how will this album hold up and I believe it will sound incredibly dated rather quickly. You keep mentioning that you go back to the songs on DR, Enema, and TOYPAJ and believe they aren't as great as they once were- well that's where i strongly disagree. Those albums hold up incredibly well in my opinion and i don't believe this one will.

 

Woken up by a text from my lifelong best friend, the person who introduced me to blink, and we texted back and forth as we listened together. That felt really good. I came away from this listen liking it as a whole quite a bit, feeling stronger about it than my first listens. I'd still cut 2-4 songs probably, but this album makes me happy. It's fun to listen to. Especially to get to talk with my friend about it, we're in different cities now and it felt good to gush about and critique blink with him.

 

No, I think this will hold up as well as those did. They'll be fun albums to bring you back to a time and place. They'll still be only ok songs but tied to memories that enhance their value. I don't love Enema of the State because it's a sexist work of art; I love it for what it made me feel. The music doesn't need to "hold up" to be remembered. My bet is that this finds that same niche with a new group of people. The band is about to have a number one alt rock hit and the biggest tour of the year, that makes me think that's a fair guess - new fans will discover the discography in a different manner than everyone before. It's happened with Green Day and Fall Out Boy. I think it's about to happen with Blink as well. The memory of the band is going to be in flux for a few years. Some old bitter fans are gonna hate it. I'm gonna smile like a certain cat.

 

You can not tell me you truly believe this album will be cherished like those albums in years to come. You think that California is going to have the same effect on kids in middle school and high school today that Enema / TOYPAJ did when those albums were released? Blink was at the absolute top of their game and when they toured there wasn't large portions of the crowd there for nostalgia purposes. I just don't see it happening.

I'm obviously a huge blink fan and I wish them all the success in the world and I couldn't be happier with the performance of the tour / single. I'm just making the point that this is a different kind of success.

 

Finally starting this off, Cynical is a fucking awesome opener