Here’s the deal: a lot of this album is going to sound repetitive, because it is. On this record, you’re not going to find complex chord progressions, intricate solos or really deep, metaphorical lyrics that leave you pondering the meaning of life. You’re just not.
Instead, what you will find is song after song of fast-paced, snare-driven, pop-punk music. Fun, danceable and difficult to study to, this music is made by the three guys who basically founded the genre. And let’s face it — after nearly 20 years, these guys know a thing or two about how to make basic hooks and repetitive choruses their own.
When you can turn on the radio and fail to distinguish between one Blink-influenced band and another, a band maintaining its identity is just as admirable as a band returning to the scene after six year hiatus and making your mark realized once again. With “Neighborhoods,” this is exactly what Blink-182 has done.
What we are presented with in “Neighborhoods” is a significantly matured sound from their previous work, featuring touches of darkness in both the lyric and the instrumentation. No longer is Blink-182 a band of goofy, snarky twenty-somethings who liked to sing about making out and Warped Tour; they have been replaced by grown men who have suffered through broken friendships, disastrous events and the death of loved ones.
Album-opener “Ghost on the Dance Floor” acts as a perfect introduction after their six year hiatus @@http://www.wmmr.com/music/news/story.aspx?ID=1546074@@— drums, guitar and bass slowly fade in, led by a simple guitar riff and backed by a few floating notes struck up on a synthesizer. Add in a booming, epic chorus, Tom DeLonge’s unique vocals and Travis Barker’s perfectly timed touches of cymbal, and the audience is reminded who Blink-182 is. At this point, any new fans are welcomed in a most grandiose fashion.
After the less exciting song “Natives” comes the first single off of the album, the heavy and pop-based “Up All Night.” This song provides an excellent taste of what the rest of the record has to offer by showcasing what Blink-182 knows how to do well and is easily one of the catchiest on the album. Its unexpectedly heavy intro and outro sandwiches verses which are flawlessly passed between DeLonge and bassist Mark Hoppus, as well as its catchy chorus touching on the band’s aforementioned darkness (featuring lyrics like “All these demons/they keep me up all night,”) this song sends listeners into the strongest portion of the album.
While the previous tracks are spent reminding audiences what works for Blink-182, the moody song “Snake Charmer” allows the audience to realize what Blink-182’s time apart and their other side projects taught them. The beginning is anchored, strong, fast, loud and mostly raw, almost like punk rock which sounds similar to Hoppus and Barker’s side project, +44.@@http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%2B44_%28band%29@@ The song eases into a calm, almost pretty verse led by DeLonge, who dictates lyrics to the listener, once again lightly accentuated by Barker’s steady beat on a snare rim. This airiness and decisive delivery brings to mind DeLonge’s side-project Angels and Airwaves@@http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_%26_Airwaves@@, but is tied together easily with the heavier aspects of the song.
Other notable tracks include the blunt and fast-paced “Heart’s All Gone,” as well as the radio-ready “Wishing Well,” and one of the final songs on the album, “Love is Dangerous,” as a final attempt at being upbeat in the significantly slower ending of the album.
Nostalgia for old Blink-182 aside, long-time fans of the band will find a slightly new sound with the same old roots in “Neighborhoods,” still featuring the familiar vocal trading between DeLonge and Hoppus, the same steady backbone on drums with Barker and the same attention to a healthy mix of pop and punk features. New fans will find a fun and at times exciting album showcasing familiar, repetitive songs, but familiar, repetitive songs that are done well — a sound made unique by years of practice.
Grade: B-
Blink-182 ‘Neighborhoods’ is familiar but done well
Daily Emerald
September 28, 2011
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