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Blink-182 – [Untitled]

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Nov 19, 2023.

  1. Melody Bot Nov 19, 2023
    Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    It really does feel like yesterday that I was just unwrapping the CD of this Blink-182 classic, known to many as their [Untitled} fifth effort, and grinning ear to ear about the sound that was about to surround me for the next two-plus years of a standard album cycle. Little did I know, this would be the last studio album Blink-182 would record for eight (!) years, until they returned with 2011’s Neighborhoods. This studio effort was a flawless execution of slick pop-punk hooks, experimental rock, hip-hop beats, and a top-notch collaborative song with The Cure’s Robert Smith. While some longtime Blink fans were disappointed with the final result of this record (that succeeded the bulletproof pop-punk classic, Take Off Your Pants & Jacket), almost all of these fans now point to this album as a seismic shift in the band’s songwriting and offered glimpses as to where they would take their sound for the foreseeable future. This fifth LP was produced by Jerry Finn, and it would also end up being their longest album to date, clocking in at a little over the 49-minute mark. Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker should be looking back fondly on this momentous album today that would find Blink-182 breaking down the silos of what a pop-punk band should sound like, and blow the doors off the hinges in the process.

    From the now-iconic opening drum beat on “Feeling This,” to “The Fallen Interlude” in the middle of the tracklisting, all the way to the closing frenetic beat found on “I’m Lost Without You,” Travis Barker’s musical blueprint is firmly cemented on this album. On the opener and lead single Mark croons gracefully with the sunny chorus of, “Fate fell short this time / Your smile fades in the summer / Place your hand in mine / I’ll leave when I wanna,” and it makes for a memorable opening statement on arguably the band’s darkest LP in their discography. “Obvious” begins that march towards the darkest of thoughts with a more brooding tone over Tom’s distinct vocal nasal delivery, while the all-time classic of “I Miss You” follows it and features some brushed notes on the drum kit while Mark bellows over the first verse of, “Hello, there / The angel from my nightmare / The shadow in the background of the morgue / The unsuspecting victim / Of darkness in the valley / We can live like Jack and Sally if we want / Where you can always find me / And we’ll have Halloween on Christmas / And in the night, we’ll wish this never ends / We’ll wish this never ends.” The band was growing, both artistically and musically, at an alarming rate, and had come a long way from the band that threw dick jokes into more songs than not. Tom’s iconic “Where are you?” delivery is now a trademark part of their reunion concerts to connect with their fans.

    Other standouts like “Violence” and “Stockholm Syndrome” showcased the growth that Blink-182 were having at just the right moment in their career trajectory. The pop-punk adrenaline shots of “Go” and “Easy Target” were enough to appease the crowd that discovered the band during the Enema of the State record, while the Angels & Airwaves-esque “Asthenia” hits its intended target, and highlighted where Tom would take his solo project(s). If nothing else, it certainly got their rabid fanbase talking about the band’s limitless creativity. The beautiful ballad of “Always” paired up with “All of This” featuring Robert Smith highlighted a band willing to take more calculated risks in their discography, and not giving a fuck about what the pop-punk purists would have to say about it. Going against (creatively) what most of the Drive-Thru era bands were doing at the time was arguably the most punk rock thing that Blink-182 could have ever done, and for a band that got famous with the lyric of “Well, I guess this is growing up” lived up to the mantra in an enormous way on this LP.

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  2. gauzestromboli Nov 19, 2023
    (Last edited: Nov 19, 2023)
    gauzestromboli

    hardcore fan

    This album sits as my favourite on my profile(for now). I found myself listening to Blink-182 1-2 months ago, and I found myself unable to stop listening to songs on this album all the time.

    What was wrong with me? Have I gone daffy? Why am I liking these guys if they're on a major label? That's when I realised that this was the music I was looking for all these years. I was born in 2003, and in short time, I witnessed the last hurrah of the early 2010s, when power pop was just about to fall out of style. As I grew up, I began to remember those days more fondly when watching the world grow more hostile around me. Times felt simpler for me.

    I feel that this sidequest of mine began with Strike Anywhere, which not only is a great band for it's messages, but the sound really made me feel that I heard this and enjoyed this at some point in my life. I continued looking, and listening to bands like Alexisonfire and Atari Teenage Riot, as well as some I already knew like Death Grips, and when I finally found Blink-182. By that point, it felt that this sidequest of mine came full circle.

    Everything that I loved about music was here! The experimental structures and sound that I have grown to adore, the regular pop punk sound that reminded me of my suburban upbringing, the vocals that feel so vulnerable, and of course, that album cover. I like to interpret the smiley face as the band, playing the instruments, the blue square, with the arrows representing their outcries to their audience, the pink rectangle.

    My personal favourites off this album are:
    5. Easy Target/All of This(The story behind the lyrics remind me of my childhood in some ways, and the guitar riff is really cool. I guess I should now listen to Disintegration, eh?)
    4. I Miss You(When I heard the "Jack and Sally" part, everything made sense as to why so many mall goths wear Nightmare Before Christmas stuff and love this band/album.)
    3. Down/The Fallen Interlude(This one is just great. The first part feels like the origin of the contemporary use of "down" lyric, and the second part is a great piece of exprimental work.)
    2. Here's Your Letter/I'm Lost Without You(The conclusion of the album feels like a trip of some kind. It's like I'm going through a powerful journey before making it to the conclusion where at the end is two Travis Barker's duking it out.)
    1. Violence/Stockholm Syndrome(I love the simplicity of the first one. I'm trying to learn it on guitar, as well as Stay Together for the Kids, Adam's Song, and All The Small Things. The second part has some great vocals and the backwards piano is awesome.)
     
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  3. qwhacker Nov 19, 2023
    qwhacker

    Newbie

    Absolutely love this album. I still remember how pumped I was when I finally tracked down a "Clean" version of this cd and didn't have to listen to all those bad words. (Don't judge the formerly religious kid too bad.... haha)
     
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  4. RaginCajun Nov 26, 2023
    RaginCajun

    Better than you, sorry

    It doesn’t feel like yesterday…feels like a lifetime ago, or multiple lifetimes ago to me. This was blink at their absolute best. But it was also the sound of the time. It had a moody gothic feel much like the music video for I miss you showcased. Contemporary bands would carry the torch. AFIs December underground, Matchbook Romances Voices, even midtowns Forget what you know and I’m sure countless others had a similar dark/gothic/moody feel to them. But blink 182 delivered it (arguably) the best.
     
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  6. Bartek T. Dec 1, 2023
    Bartek T.

    D'oh! Prestigious

    It was so good to return to this album during the anniversary month, still love it. Though hey, why the DTR slander hahh! 40 Hour Train Bak to Penn was released before blink got their stuff out ;d
     
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  7. paythetab Dec 4, 2023
    paythetab

    Chorus.FM Album Reviewer (Adam Grundy) Supporter

    Not realllly slander for DTR...I love all those bands! I think some of the pop-punk stuff was hard to separate from at the time, but bands like The Movielife, Early November, Finch and Rx Bandits were all doing some super-creative stuff during that era.
     
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  8. Bartek T. Dec 4, 2023
    Bartek T.

    D'oh! Prestigious

    I was sure of that tbh - I think most of us here enjoy a lot of the DTR catalogue; just trying to stir the pot hahah. Though to your point - I definitely agree with TEN and Finch etc., but wanted to namedrop Movielife for them being kinda pop punk before 40 Hour Train. The others were darker right from their beginning.
     
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