A Blink 182 album with no pee-pee or fart jokes? That’s right. It looks as if Blink has finally grown up on its new self-titled CD. The sound on the disc is more of a continuation of Box Car Racer, Tom Delonge’s side project band than the cute guitar intros and novelty songs that were the trademark of Blink 182’s 1999 breakout album, “Enema of the State.”
“Blink-182” is an experimental album where most of the band’s teeny-bopper fans will undoubtedly hop off the bandwagon and long to have their Britney Spears albums back. Blink 182 has returned with heavier guitar and stronger vocals. One of the downsides to this new CD is that the band might have spent a little too much time experimenting in the studio; All the over-dubbed vocals and background fluff leave an over-produced sound.
But on the same note, kudos to Blink for potentially alienating its younger fan base by trying something new. Violins, pianos and acoustics are introduced and give a more mature and versatile sound. Delonge’s whiney but addictive vocals are more prevalent on this CD, rather than Mark
Hoppus’ more polished pop sound. Travis Barker’s signature drumming is also apparent on every song – impressive although a bit schizophrenic at times.
The album starts out strong with “Obvious” and “Violence,” but loses steam about halfway through, especially on “Asthenia” and “The Fallen Interlude,” Barker’s two-minute hip-hop-inspired track displaying his affinity for rap. One surprise is “Always,” which, in a style uncharacteristic to vintage Blink 182 style, is an 80s-enthused track with an entrancing chorus. Continuing with the 1980s throwback, Blink also borrowed the vocal talents of The Cure’s Robert Smith on the hypnotic ballad “All of This.”
With this album, Blink 182 finally escapes the “pop-punk” label. “Blink 182” is a welcome departure from a genre now flooded with bands such as Good Charlotte and Simple Plan.