Neighborhoods - Blink-182

Noteworthy

Feliz Año Nuevo, nerds.

I know this album is already four months old, but go with it. This was a request from multiple friends of mine. Plus this band in particular holds a special place in my heart because it helped launch me into a much wider world of music.

The turn of the millennium was probably the worst time to grow up in terms of experiencing art. If you didn’t know better, you were listening to boy bands and prepubescent blonde divas. However, there were a few artists out there like Eminem and Red Hot Chili Peppers that produced music that was actually thought out and not formulaic. Thankfully, the link between these two extremes revealed itself with Blink-182, who never missed an opportunity to point to the fact that there was better music than what was on the surface. Blink stopped it nothing to make fun of Top-40 artists by mocking their stereotypical music-video memes (the shirt-unbuttoned-on-the-beach theme, the dressing-up-like-a-redneck theme, etc.). The band also played their own instruments, which inspired me to actually dust off a guitar I got as a gift once and actually learn how to play.

This new record, Neighborhoods, is the first album since the group's self-titled effort in 2003. While Blink-182 was well received by critics and fans alike, the maturing band dissolved in 2004, halting further work on what could have been a pivotal period. It’s hard to believe these guys are all nearing 40. Now, after seven years since the break-up, it appears that the band must getting things rolling again from scratch. What emerges from the void is a much bleaker and harder vision that works on most levels.

Yes. Surprisingly, this album is pretty good. Although much of the band's former levity is gone, the long recess has given the band a finer musical ear by producing hard-edged punk a sprinkling of Blink-182 spirit. There is little doubt this stems from guitarist Tom DeLonge's involvement in his side project, Angels and Airwaves, an avenue that allowed him to cultivate more creative desires. What results is a transformation from a band rehashing pop-punk anthems to one aspiring for more adult melodies.

This is something that several reviews I read noted, but I agree that the first few songs on the album are not just good, but spectacular. This four-song block — "Ghosts on the Dance Floor," "Natives," "Up All Night" and "After Midnight" — ditch the mawkishness and irreverent pranks from the band's past to dealing with family, loss and love in stark modern world. It is rather impressive how these songs can take the listener both to the mosh-pit antics of “Natives” and to the warm embrace of “After Midnight.” If you're at all curious about the album, these four songs are the album's focal point.

Unfortunately, a lot of the album does not succeed in recreating the same awe-inspiring feeling. While the rest of Neighborhoods contains a lot of vintage late-Blink tracks, such as the bass-heavy "Wishing Well" and the punk-riff-driven "This Is Home," there are some songs that feel rough and thrown together. There are those who blame this on the way this album was mixed. The three musicians recorded many tracks separately and put their individual parts together in the studio. There also was no outside producer to help with the overall process. Although subtle, there is a problematic disconnect for a relationship that requires constant cooperation and attention.

Add to this, some songs seem thrown together lyrically. Take, for example, the opening lines for the first verse of “This is home”:

“We work and slave the day away / We’re raised in perfect families / f*cking fight like vagabonds / We dance like f*cking animals”

Look, I like dropping the f-bomb as much as anyone, but if you use three in the same verse, it’s like you’re letting Richard Pryor write your songs or something. Why not invest some more time writing your f*cking lyrics instead of f*cking around, you f*cks. F*ck! See how it works? If you've been writing for almost twenty years, that kind of effort seems indolent.

Even so, after these problems, this LP remains solid for both fans and rock enthusiasts in general. I would definitely recommend it for any Blink-182 diehard who has not yet become too old and cynical to still embrace the loser kid moniker. I would also highly recommend this album to anyone who enjoyed the band's last album, which was the first album that had Blink exploring more emo (thank God that word finally died) motifs. Otherwise try it before you buy it.

For Your Consideration: "Ghosts on the Dance Floor," "Natives," "Up All Night," "After Midnight"

For Next Time: Perhaps Undun - The Roots