Blink 182
Neighborhoods
Interscope
2011
So here it is folks, the inevitable has finally happened. Like a couple that has decided to take a break in order to indulge in bland meaningless sex with strangers only to realize they loved each other in the first place, Mark, Tom and Travis have decided to stop bickering and give the old relationship one last college try. Long time Blinksters (I assume that’s what they call themselves) must be beaming at the thought of the 3 thirty-something boys group hugging, crying onto each other’s shoulders and whispering“I love you man, let’s never fight again” into the now receptive lugholes of once bestest buds. I’d love to believe that, I really would and maybe it’s just the cynic in me that doubts that version of events but the“It-was-just-about-the-right-time” nature of this reunion coupled with a distinct lack of interest in their bland “mature” side projects makes me question the fairytale. In order to take an objective position and review the music as music one must forget about the pointless squabbles, petty internal politics and the fact that this reunion was less of a surprise than Johnny Vegas ordering that second helping of pie. Instead I would like to focus on what the release delivers sonically. It is however extremely difficult, with the band having taken such a long break, to avoid my own expectations of
the release creeping in. I was as much of a fan of them back in the day as the people who have kept up their frankly bewildering appetites and hopes for a new release for years now. It is with all these things in mind that I dive straight in and below is a track by track run through of what to expect, because I’m nice like that;
1) Ghost on the Dancefloor: The dreamy floating synth left over from Delonge’s AVA days, steadily building guitars and symbol heavy drumming usher in the unmistakable voice of Blink’s front-man. It is clear that these chaps have learnt a lot about studio production during their
lengthy hiatus because this song (and the album that follows) often sounds so over-produced it hurts. The swirl of that synth permeates and often drowns out what should be pounding guitars. Synth, it would seem, is not the only annoyance that has transferred over from AVA as the lyrics still contain more than a slight messianic bent when Delonge sings earnestly about wounds healing. But in spite of all that the somewhat overwrought rom-com style emotion contained
within this outpouring actually works well with the ethereal quality of the music.
2) Natives: An impressively complex noodling guitar riff starts this fantastic song. This one is much faster and recalls early 90’s skate punk with its pounding drumbeat and rapid fire vocal delivery. Once again Mark Hoppus’measured croon is an excellent counterpoint to Delonge’s nasal Bill and Ted vocal. A real winner!
3) Up All Night: The lead single from the album begins with a heady concoction of pounding drums, ominous guitar and that damn synth. It soon explodes into a bombastic riff heavy enough to have kids across the western world showing off their best Bruce Lee moves in the pit. Delonge and Hoppus trade off vocal duties like the days of old but the sweet hooks contained within the vocal melodies are underscored at all times by the menace of that riff even as the chorus soars to its zenith. This song is sure to cause a few bloody noses and is totally unexpected. I can’t shake the fact that it sounds like 2 different songs stitched together and, for me at least, it only partially works.
4) After Midnight: Another song that is built around a soaring hook so far-reaching that it sounds like a cast-off from Angles and Airwaves. It is without question that Delonge developed a strange andrather delu ded personality during his tenure with that band but what is beyond doubt is his ability to construct a melody that stays with you. The chorus is just as catchy and sees Mark Hoppus exploring the upper reaches of his vocal range.
5) Hearts All Gone: Travis Barker shows once again why he is one of the most respected and revered drummers of the modern age on this frantic punk rock stomper. Rapid machine gun drumming makes way for distorted guitars and the vocals of Mark Hoppus, who sounds like he is
struggling to keep pace with the music (albeit in a constructed way.) One of the best cuts from the album and a song that demands to be on the next big Skateboarding DVD in Vans and played in Vans stores continuously.
6) Wishing Well: Blink scale back the punk completely for this listless and rather wishy-washy tune. The melodic hook is catchy enough sure, but if anyone tells me they don’t get seriously annoyed with that Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah section we must have a serious chat and
listen to T.S.O.L.
7) Kaleidoscope: The band keeps the volume low, slows the pace to a crawl and I’m not going to lie I’m beginning to get rather bored by this point. Don’t get me wrong I had high hopes for this and
the record made a really promising start with 4 pretty good, if pretty standard, Blink songs, but we are definitely getting into “meh” territory at this juncture. Despite some bouncy guitar and decent enough lyrics of the bumgazing variety from Hoppus and Delonge. They trade vocal duties once more but the song never kicks into high gear, never utilizes Barkers talents and falls flat like a
granny on an ice-rink. No, no and no
8) This is Home: More synth heavy, mid paced, over-produced plodding that doesn’t sound remotely punk or for that matter even remotely Blink. I think Tom must have had an
insatiable desire to write a song that would perfectly fit on the soundtrack of the most saccharine teen rom-com guff storm ever conceived. Either that or I’m a bitter whiskey soaked cynic. I’ll take either to be honest! And the less said about that uh-uh-oh thing the better. Thankyou.
9) M.H. 4.18.2011: Now this is a little bit more like it! It just shows that by injecting a little bit of pace and letting Barker go absolutely apeshit on his drums and his symbols how good Blink
once were and have the potential to be again. I don’t want to bash Delonge but when the creative reigns are given back to Hoppus the quality, for me at least, is a thousand times better at this point in their careers. I wouldn’t have said that 10 years ago for sure.
10) Love is Dangerous: This song is slow, boring, over-produced and synth heavy simple as that. Delonge insists on pronouncing the word dangerous as “danger-us” which is grating and irksome to these tired ears. I would love this song but the band inform me that feeling such an emotion is dangerous (or danger-us)…so I’ll hate it instead.
Verdict: Oh what a pity! Things started off in such a promising fashion that I really had high hopes for this album, or at least was confident that it wouldn’t get laughed at by the haters all too ready to
proclaim the album as a steaming pile of canine excrement. A stinker of a second half completely destroys such naïve and hopeful notions. Even when the songs are at their catchiest they fail in all the areas that matter. “Up All Night” sounds like a Frankenstein’s monster type creation made up of lots of different bits and pieces that don’t quite fit together. And therein, I think, lies my biggest problem with “Neighborhoods.”It seems to me that Tom Delonge still has one foot in the Angels and Airwaves sound, peppering the songs with soaring melodies and annoying synth noises that frankly have no place on a Blink record. “Neighbourhoods” best moments come when Blink turn the burners back on and allow Travis Barker to pound the crap out of the skins like he was born to do. Mark and Tom’s songs are often so different that they fail to present themselves as a
cohesive unit making the album feel patchy. Blink may be back, but at this point I feel it is in name only. The sooner as they jettison that synth into the Pacific Ocean the better.
Score: 4/10
For Fans of: Paramore, Angels and Airwaves, New Found Glory
the release creeping in. I was as much of a fan of them back in the day as the people who have kept up their frankly bewildering appetites and hopes for a new release for years now. It is with all these things in mind that I dive straight in and below is a track by track run through of what to expect, because I’m nice like that;
1) Ghost on the Dancefloor: The dreamy floating synth left over from Delonge’s AVA days, steadily building guitars and symbol heavy drumming usher in the unmistakable voice of Blink’s front-man. It is clear that these chaps have learnt a lot about studio production during their
lengthy hiatus because this song (and the album that follows) often sounds so over-produced it hurts. The swirl of that synth permeates and often drowns out what should be pounding guitars. Synth, it would seem, is not the only annoyance that has transferred over from AVA as the lyrics still contain more than a slight messianic bent when Delonge sings earnestly about wounds healing. But in spite of all that the somewhat overwrought rom-com style emotion contained
within this outpouring actually works well with the ethereal quality of the music.
2) Natives: An impressively complex noodling guitar riff starts this fantastic song. This one is much faster and recalls early 90’s skate punk with its pounding drumbeat and rapid fire vocal delivery. Once again Mark Hoppus’measured croon is an excellent counterpoint to Delonge’s nasal Bill and Ted vocal. A real winner!
3) Up All Night: The lead single from the album begins with a heady concoction of pounding drums, ominous guitar and that damn synth. It soon explodes into a bombastic riff heavy enough to have kids across the western world showing off their best Bruce Lee moves in the pit. Delonge and Hoppus trade off vocal duties like the days of old but the sweet hooks contained within the vocal melodies are underscored at all times by the menace of that riff even as the chorus soars to its zenith. This song is sure to cause a few bloody noses and is totally unexpected. I can’t shake the fact that it sounds like 2 different songs stitched together and, for me at least, it only partially works.
4) After Midnight: Another song that is built around a soaring hook so far-reaching that it sounds like a cast-off from Angles and Airwaves. It is without question that Delonge developed a strange andrather delu ded personality during his tenure with that band but what is beyond doubt is his ability to construct a melody that stays with you. The chorus is just as catchy and sees Mark Hoppus exploring the upper reaches of his vocal range.
5) Hearts All Gone: Travis Barker shows once again why he is one of the most respected and revered drummers of the modern age on this frantic punk rock stomper. Rapid machine gun drumming makes way for distorted guitars and the vocals of Mark Hoppus, who sounds like he is
struggling to keep pace with the music (albeit in a constructed way.) One of the best cuts from the album and a song that demands to be on the next big Skateboarding DVD in Vans and played in Vans stores continuously.
6) Wishing Well: Blink scale back the punk completely for this listless and rather wishy-washy tune. The melodic hook is catchy enough sure, but if anyone tells me they don’t get seriously annoyed with that Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah section we must have a serious chat and
listen to T.S.O.L.
7) Kaleidoscope: The band keeps the volume low, slows the pace to a crawl and I’m not going to lie I’m beginning to get rather bored by this point. Don’t get me wrong I had high hopes for this and
the record made a really promising start with 4 pretty good, if pretty standard, Blink songs, but we are definitely getting into “meh” territory at this juncture. Despite some bouncy guitar and decent enough lyrics of the bumgazing variety from Hoppus and Delonge. They trade vocal duties once more but the song never kicks into high gear, never utilizes Barkers talents and falls flat like a
granny on an ice-rink. No, no and no
8) This is Home: More synth heavy, mid paced, over-produced plodding that doesn’t sound remotely punk or for that matter even remotely Blink. I think Tom must have had an
insatiable desire to write a song that would perfectly fit on the soundtrack of the most saccharine teen rom-com guff storm ever conceived. Either that or I’m a bitter whiskey soaked cynic. I’ll take either to be honest! And the less said about that uh-uh-oh thing the better. Thankyou.
9) M.H. 4.18.2011: Now this is a little bit more like it! It just shows that by injecting a little bit of pace and letting Barker go absolutely apeshit on his drums and his symbols how good Blink
once were and have the potential to be again. I don’t want to bash Delonge but when the creative reigns are given back to Hoppus the quality, for me at least, is a thousand times better at this point in their careers. I wouldn’t have said that 10 years ago for sure.
10) Love is Dangerous: This song is slow, boring, over-produced and synth heavy simple as that. Delonge insists on pronouncing the word dangerous as “danger-us” which is grating and irksome to these tired ears. I would love this song but the band inform me that feeling such an emotion is dangerous (or danger-us)…so I’ll hate it instead.
Verdict: Oh what a pity! Things started off in such a promising fashion that I really had high hopes for this album, or at least was confident that it wouldn’t get laughed at by the haters all too ready to
proclaim the album as a steaming pile of canine excrement. A stinker of a second half completely destroys such naïve and hopeful notions. Even when the songs are at their catchiest they fail in all the areas that matter. “Up All Night” sounds like a Frankenstein’s monster type creation made up of lots of different bits and pieces that don’t quite fit together. And therein, I think, lies my biggest problem with “Neighborhoods.”It seems to me that Tom Delonge still has one foot in the Angels and Airwaves sound, peppering the songs with soaring melodies and annoying synth noises that frankly have no place on a Blink record. “Neighbourhoods” best moments come when Blink turn the burners back on and allow Travis Barker to pound the crap out of the skins like he was born to do. Mark and Tom’s songs are often so different that they fail to present themselves as a
cohesive unit making the album feel patchy. Blink may be back, but at this point I feel it is in name only. The sooner as they jettison that synth into the Pacific Ocean the better.
Score: 4/10
For Fans of: Paramore, Angels and Airwaves, New Found Glory