I Have Takes That Need to Be Heard (Encore Episode 128) Podcast

I just want to say that I dig the write-ups for the Encore podcasts because I have limited listening time and it makes it easier for me to choose what I want to listen to.

Definitely checking this one out!

 

Thomas can piss off.




jk.

 

I'm siding with Thomas on this. I can listen to it, it's fine, but it's not very memorable for me. I'm forcing myself to return to it in an effort to give it more of a fair shake, more so than I would with any other band, but it's just bland all around. Agreed that the songs named after California are all not that great.

Glad they're having fun, glad people enjoy it, but it's not doing much for me.

 

It's not up on Overcast yet

 

The album is about 5 songs too long... but most of them are fun.

 

Disagree with Thomas big time in relation to the Blink stuff -- but couldn't agree more with disliking the new Sum41 and kinda liking the new TBS

 

So for me, this album is really top and bottom heavy, and the middle is where things start to feel lazy and boring. I would cut the songs from Kings of the Weekend all the way to Left Alone (I know a lot of people like this song though) and have Rabbit Hole follow immediately after Home Is Such a Lonely Place. They have said multiple times how quickly they wrote a lot of these songs, and I think it shows in the middle tracks.

If I were to keep the joke songs, I'd have them at the very end of the album but to be honest, I'd like to see both of those songs fleshed out into actual songs with different lyrics. They both have the potential to be super high-energy and catchy songs and I feel like they were kind of wasted.

As a side note, it's disappointing to see their setlists recently. They have said they don't want to be a legacy act, so why are they only playing Bored to Death and their two joke songs live from this album? If I were to see them, I'd like to see at least 4-5 of the new non-joke songs, if not more. That still leaves plenty of room for their classic songs.

 

100% side with ya, Jason regarding the glossy production of Blink 182.

 

As a homegrown Miami boy, I feel your pain on the Heat front, TN.

 

Team @Jason Tate 100%

Album rules.

 

Album is good enough. I agree with @Thomas Nassiff , it's overproduced in a bad way. I understand the comment that blink-182 has always been glossy but the way Feldmann does "glossy"...it just doesn't do the the album any favors.

I'm Team Hoppus/Skiba/Travis all the way but I now sort of get why Tom was less than stoked to work on new shit. Again this is just based on interviews I read about the what went into creating California. I can see why Tom was not eager to record if the rest of the band wanted to do something like bring in a producer like John Feldmann to not only produce by co-write...

 

I'm kind of split on this Blink album. I think parts of it are really great and other parts of it are really boring. I think there's a 9 or 10 track version of this record that is fucking amazing. Can't see myself coming back to it a ton after the summer, though, because the lyrics are kind of disposable/lazy imo.

 

I fucking love the new blink album I can't stop playing it in the car

 

Absolutely team Jason. I don't think I've ever disagreed with one of you more on the podcast than Thomas on this episode. Crazy. I found myself just alternating nods and head shakes over the course of the episode, haha.

 

Team Jason. Still haven't listened to anything else since I got it.

 

I'm split between both of your views. It's a fun album and I have listened to it a lot. Some songs really had to grow on me. Still hate Kings of the Weekend. I'm not the biggest Blink fan but Jason's dig on Knuckle Puck made me think about it and I'd totally take that Knuckle Puck album over California.

 

Thomas stole every thought I've had thus far on this album right out of my mouth. When I heard Cynical I thought I was going to fall in love with this album so easily. It steadily went downhill, with the back half being unlistenable to me. Everything sounds uninspired and rushed, lyrics, melodies, arrangements, etc. Too many songs and too glossy production. I do dig a few songs though, like Los Angeles, Bored To Death, Cynical, and Rabbit Hole. Sober and She's Out Of Her Mind are major gimmick songs to me, especially when these guys are all in their 40's.

 

Oh, and the song "California" sounds like something that could have been written of Transit's Young New England if the album was written about California. Just my 2 cents. (Even though Travis' drum parts are killer)

 

Really thought hearing 40 year olds singing songs like Sober, She's Out of Her Mind, Kings of the Weekend, and Teenage Satellites was weird on the first few listens. I've come around to enjoy most of those songs for what they are though. Just can't stress how much I don't like Kings of the Weekend.

 

I still can't quit wrap my head around No Future and Rabbit Hole being among someone's favorite songs on this album. Those would be the first full songs I would cut.

 

YES YES THOMAS! I'm okay with Los Angeles but other than that everything you said is spot on my exact feelings. Getting bored mid-song on every song I think I like, every time.

 

Agree with JT. Catchy and fun listening. Let's gooooo!

 

@Thomas Nassiff can't agree with you. California is there catchiest album since TOYPAJ. How come it's boring?

 

Great: Cynical, Bored to Death, She's Out of Her Mind, San Diego, Left Alone, California.

Average: Sober, Rabbit Hole, Teenage Satellites, The Only Thing That Matters, Los Angeles.

Poor: Home is Such a Lonely Place. I'm surprised this song is popular. It's easily the worst song on the album, imo. I just get some boring '5sos - Amnesia' ballad vibe and it feels so out-of-place on the record. California is a better ballad.
No Future.
Kings of the Weekend.
Built This Pool.
Brohemian Rhapsody.

My biggest gripe is they sound like every other generic pop-rock/pop-punk album for most parts. Blink used to set the trends not so much follow them. But so many songs honestly sound like something Good Charlotte or 5 Seconds of Summer would play - which would be good for them, but disappointing for Blink. Yes, I still find the overabundant use of the "nana" and "whoa"s melodic syllables is still annoying. It's like they were dependent on it for songwriting. On at least 12 out of 17 songs they used that technique. Just way too much.

8/10.
Nonetheless, it's a good album. I think it's slightly better than Neighborhoods (7/10) and it fulfills its purpose of just being a fun summer record. But it's not an album as iconic as the others.