I'm just going to come out and say it. The new Blink 182 album actually isn't half-bad. Hey, stop throwing all those syringes and pieces of rotten fruit at me. I'm perfectly aware that I may have just thrown away my indie-cred, but it's the honest truth. Compared to previous efforts like "Enema of the State", "Blink 182" is a masterpiece, and even goes beyond that to be actually listenable.

Before you start forming a lynch mob, let me explain myself. As you're probably aware, Blink 182 have made something of a name for themselves by crafting immature, juvenile pieces of pure pop-punk. The constant toilet humour and occasional foul language was amusing to me when I was in high school, but now that I'm a responsible adult, the allure has gone out of the music. Re-listening to songs like Dammit and All The Small Things is not a pleasant experience for me anymore, the songs have not aged well, and I cringe at the fact that I used to listen to that stuff constantly. Surprisingly however, on this newest release, the band have left all this behind, and set sail for new musical territory, territory that is much more mature and satisfying.

So that's right, this is a Blink 182 album which doesn't feature any bad jokes about having sex with animals, doesn't feature any lame puns about incest, and most satisfyingly doesn't have any song with guys that must be pushing thirty singing about highschool angst. What we do have is music that is occasionally unsettling (I'm Lost Without You), sometimes downright troubling (Violence), and on the whole a lot more experimental and sullen than previous work by the band. Of course, this is Blink 182 that we're talking about, and there is time for a few hook-laden bursts of catchy pop-punk that will doubtless be finding their way onto the charts (Feeling This).

This album isn't outstandingly brilliant, and it ventures more towards emo territory similar to bands like Sparta than it does to the postpunk sounds of a band like DNA or The Cure, despite the inclusion of some vocals by Robert Smith, of all people, on the record (I wonder just how many teenage Blink 182 fans realise who Robert Smith is, however). "Blink 182" is nonetheless an encouraging record, and one that proves that even a juvenile pop band like Blink 182 are capable of maturing and putting out something that takes a few risks.

I'm just going to come out and say it. The new Blink 182 album actually isn't half-bad. Hey, stop throwing all those syringes and pieces of rotten fruit at me. I'm perfectly aware that I may have just thrown away my indie-cred, but it's the honest truth. Compared to previous efforts like "Enema of the State", "Blink 182" is a masterpiece, and even goes beyond that to be actually listenable.

Before you start forming a lynch mob, let me explain myself. As you're probably aware, Blink 182 have made something of a name for themselves by crafting immature, juvenile pieces of pure pop-punk. The constant toilet humour and occasional foul language was amusing to me when I was in high school, but now that I'm a responsible adult, the allure has gone out of the music. Re-listening to songs like Dammit and All The Small Things is not a pleasant experience for me anymore, the songs have not aged well, and I cringe at the fact that I used to listen to that stuff constantly. Surprisingly however, on this newest release, the band have left all this behind, and set sail for new musical territory, territory that is much more mature and satisfying.

So that's right, this is a Blink 182 album which doesn't feature any bad jokes about having sex with animals, doesn't feature any lame puns about incest, and most satisfyingly doesn't have any song with guys that must be pushing thirty singing about highschool angst. What we do have is music that is occasionally unsettling (I'm Lost Without You), sometimes downright troubling (Violence), and on the whole a lot more experimental and sullen than previous work by the band. Of course, this is Blink 182 that we're talking about, and there is time for a few hook-laden bursts of catchy pop-punk that will doubtless be finding their way onto the charts (Feeling This).

This album isn't outstandingly brilliant, and it ventures more towards emo territory similar to bands like Sparta than it does to the postpunk sounds of a band like DNA or The Cure, despite the inclusion of some vocals by Robert Smith, of all people, on the record (I wonder just how many teenage Blink 182 fans realise who Robert Smith is, however). "Blink 182" is nonetheless an encouraging record, and one that proves that even a juvenile pop band like Blink 182 are capable of maturing and putting out something that takes a few risks.