Album Review: Neighborhoods

I reserve doing album reviews for special occasions and exceptionally good albums. This is both. It's the first new blink-182 album in 8 years, and their first new material since their break-up and make-up.

It's a blink album, to be certain. They're the same band as they always were, but they're a completely new band at the same time. The 8 years it's been since their last album came out really, really shows. They've grown up a lot since 2003; they are not in their 20s anymore. They're married [and divorced] and have children.

It sounds nothing like Enema of the State, but why would it? This isn't the 90s anymore. During the band's hiatus, they all had time to expand on their own. Travis has his own album, Mark did +44 (with Travis), and Tom has done both Box Car Racer, and Angels and Airwaves.

Some people are saying that blink sounds too much like Angels and Airwaves featuring +44 now. But is that not what it always was? To me, AVA sounds like Tom and +44 sounds like Mark. Obviously Travis sounds like Travis. In having the chance to separate and do their own projects, I feel it gave them a chance to develop their own sounds, and us a chance to differentiate between the two.

So, there's a lot of Tom on the record, and there's a lot of Mark on the record, and the whole thing has Travis putting in the solid beats in the background. It's a fitting place for him, I think. He puts in what needs to be there and it holds everything together perfectly. He seems to be a lot like that in person, as well.

Ghost on the Dancefloor:
I think this was a really good choice for a first song, it's one of my favourites on the record so far. It's very up-beat and really quite dancy with lyrics about being incredibly sad and lonely, which is what a lot of blink songs are about anyway, so nothing new there.

Natives:
The bass on this song is amazing. It sounds like it could have been released on their last album. Nothing has changed, which is not a bad thing at all.

Up All Night:
This is the first single, which I personally think was a mistake. It is a very new sound for them and I think a smarter choice for first single would have been After Midnight. Not that this isn't a great song. Since it was their first single, I've had a long while to listen to it. It has the back and forth style that they have perfected and it's executed brilliantly on this track. It doesn't sound like their old sound at all, but you can clearly hear the merging of their 3 signature styles and it's a great marriage.

After Midnight:
This is another one of my favourite tracks. It's a perfect balance of their newer sounding songs, and their classics. It's absolutely brilliant lyrically. And it's catchy, which I love. I have nothing else to really say other than this song is, in my opinion, excellent and should have been the first single.

Snake Charmer:
This song is really dark, both lyrically and musically. There's a lot going on, but it fits together well, somehow. It's very much a "Tom and Travis" song. The bass line is great, but that's really all I hear of Mark on this track. It's lacking, there.

Heart's All Gone:
It has an interlude before it which is rather haunting and pretty experimental. It's a different direction for them. I'm glad it's on its own track so that I don't have to listen to it repeatedly, though. It's nice for sometimes and goes great for a straight listen-through of the album, but I wouldn't want it fused to Heart's All Gone.
The drumming really stands out on this track. It seems like a counter to Snake Charmer; it's very much of a Mark and Travis creation. The vocals and lyrics are both really strong, and it's up-beat.

Wishing Well:
Musically it sounds like some of their older stuff, which will never earn any complaints from me. It's vivid and interesting lyrically and is taking a lot of what Tom has been working with in AVA.

Kaleidoscope:
This, lyrically, one of my favourite tracks on the album. Mark sounds amazing on it; he has a really, really gorgeous voice. Instrumentally, it's nothing special or extraordinary, but the vocals are stunning.

This Is Home:
It's electronic and dancy. The vocals fit in great with the instrumentals. It needs a few more listens for me to really make a solid opinion on it. It isn't a bad song, but it doesn't stand out like some of the others do.

MH 4.18.2011:
Sounds like old blink. As always, Mark sounds great.

Love is Dangerous:
Their vocals mesh perfectly together. It's very much a balance between both of their styles. The drums don't stand out, and aren't lost in the background, either. It's a perfect marriage of 3.

Fighting The Gravity:
It's dark and electronic, which works perfectly with the dark lyrics. Bits of it remind me a bit of Asthenia, which is great, as it's one of my favourite songs they've done. It doesn't really stand out, but it's got a big sound and it's nice to listen to.

Even if She Falls:
A lot like old blink. The bass really stands out on this and sounds great. The vocals are good and the lyrics are great. Good ending to the record.

Over-all, they've made a very strong come-back. There are throw-backs to their classic sound, and they're also bringing new stuff into the mix. I feel that on the whole, it would have been stronger if there was more vocal contribution from Mark. It's very diverse and it wasn't repetitive. The songs that didn't really "stand out" were not bad or boring. I wouldn't remember them enough to put them on repeat, but I also wouldn't skip over them on shuffle. It's a very dark album, which makes sense since they're on a come-back from a quite public, seemingly rather harsh, break-up.

It's way more grown-up and mature than Enema of the State or Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, and picks up where their most recent album left off. Although it's grown up, it isn't all, "We have kids and this is how we feel being parents", it's still full of their always relatable, very real, lyrics. They certainly have not lost their touch.

Note: it pains me greatly to have to spell "neighborhoods" instead of "neighbourhoods".