Blink 182 - Neighborhoods - CD Album Review
Eight years. Eight long years, in fact. But finally, Blink 182 are about to release the much anticipated follow-up to their 2003 self-titled album...
Eight years. Eight long years, in fact. But finally, Blink 182 are about to release the much anticipated follow-up to their 2003 self-titled album. The years between then and now have been tumultuous and distant, with the members doing their own things Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus formed +44 and Tom DeLonge formed Angels & Airwaves. +44 took off well, even though the sound wasnt too far away from that of Blink, but Angels & Airwaves was a massive flop. Considering that DeLonge had said that the band was going to be the greatest rock and roll revolution for this generation the band hardly shook the music world and many people became disgusted with the lack of creativity and vision the band possessed. It was a far cry from the sound that DeLonge had felt the need to brag about so much. However, he revealed that he was addicted to painkillers at the time of saying most of the things, so they can be taken as things that he didnt really mean and were just fragments of faux ambition filtering into his speech. Quite simply, he was out of his head and the things hed said about Angels & Airwaves shouldnt have been taken seriously. It didnt exactly come as a surprise when Blink 182 announced their hiatus back in 2005, but it was something that shocked, and upset, a lot of people. Since theyd released their 2003 album, there were a lot of rumours that the band were close to splitting up but a lot of people didnt believe this and put it down to hear-say. However, when DeLonge announced that hed left the band the rumours turned into truth. The band announced they were on an indefinite hiatus and cancelled their North American tour and it soon became clear that things hadnt been okay with the members for quite some time. Hoppus declared that DeLonge was trying to take over the band and was dictating everything an example of this is that DeLonge told them that hed only contribute to an album they were recording from his home in San Diego and wanted to be sent ProTools files to work on. Barker and Hoppus were obviously not happy about this and after a lengthy discussion DeLonge, quite simply, left the band. It wasnt until 2008, after the death of one of their frequent producers, that DeLonge began to get back in touch with Hoppus and Barker, and after Barkers plane accident (in which he barely survived and endured third-degree burns) the trio patched up their differences and subsequently announced Blink 182s reformation in 2009. 
So, with this album, can Blink 182 show that the years of distance havent affected them? Their single Up All Night certainly declared that they were in form of old and its a pleasure to say that the rest of the album follows suit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpYhGdrknlA&ob=av2n Wishing Well, is a breezy, typical Blink 182 sounding track that is possibly the strongest track on the album. DeLonges vocals are hard not to smile at and Hoppus bass-line is driving and solid. Barkers drumming, as always, is top-notch and the guitar is light and melodic and is the catalyst for everything good about the song. The line: I reached for a shooting star / it burnt a hole through my hand will stay in your head for hours. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGSLIm4AoCs Natives is a classic Blink pop-punk song. It uses Hoppus and DeLonges vocals really effectively and the twisting guitar riffs work well with the fast-paced drumming. Its imaginable that this will be a favourite with long-time Blink fans, as it brings back memories of their older material in its inimitable, fun way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3_qgBJzt8E Love Is Dangerous is a really heartfelt, passionate track that shows Blinks more mature side. In effect, its a love song and with DeLonges weepy vocals taking centre stage, and Hoppus bolder vocals staying in the periphery, it proves to be a very intriguing listen. The synth is a very clever addition, as it releases the vocals and doesnt overshadow them, as DeLonges guitar-playing can sometimes do. Compared to the rest of the tracks, its a very different, but wise, inclusion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay_68J_HeKA Even If She Falls, the last track, sums up the whole album. It has a happy feel, but the lyrics are tinged with a sense of empathy. The guitar has a sunny, warm feel to it; the drumming is tight and glues the whole sound together and the bass-line is solid and hovers in the background, and every so often bursts out of its cage. It may not be the best track on the album but it ties things up nicely. Its not showy but is firm, it wont be a track that stands out but yet still stays in your head after its finished and in true Blink 182 way, the track stays in your head. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTW-LqOVMoU Neighbourhoods is an album that many people have been waiting for for a long, long time. But the wait has been worth it because this album is excellent: it manages to capture the sound of youth but is their most mature work to date, its a fun listen but the lyrics have a more brooding sense behind the happy-go-lucky vocals and there isnt a track that feels like it doesnt belong. Blink 182 are definitely back. Expect this album to be on repeat for days. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5myB1iteQsw Blink 182 - Neighborhoods is released on September 26th.