This is the album that took Blink 182 to the mainstream community. It is a punk fueled rollercoaster ride through the minds of Tom Mark and Travis, and is a good one at that. The songs are fats and not to hard, just right to get any alternative fan moshing, while also letting the pop fan release themselves. It is the perfect album, for the music fan who doesn't want to get fully involved in the alternative scene but wants a taster. of course I don't think this is teh best Blink 182 album, because it isn't. That accolade goes to Dude Ranch, the bands 97 release (which has Scott on drums). But that doesn't mean that this album isn't a good one. Songs like 'Going Away To College' and 'Wendy Clear' make me come back to this album time after time. And believe me, I do keep coming back. Each song is a funny one, but at the same time, has a deep under running, y'know thing to it. You can't help but listen to this album and see how muc effort was put into it. It is a piece of art, especially for a punk band. Below is the track listing :
Dumpweed
Don't Leave Me
Aliens Exist
Going Away To College
What's My Age Again? (single)
Dysentry Gary
Adam's Song (single)
All The Small Things (single)
Party Song
Mutt (American Pie Soundtrack)
Wendy Clear
Anthem
Opening track 'Dumpweed' sarts out with some pretty hefty drumming and riffs to match. The song itself is a bit slower than some Blink stuff, but then again so are most of this albums delights. Lyrics like ''She's a dove/she's a fing nightmare/unpredictable/it's my mistake to stay here/on the go and it's way to late to late/i need a girl that I can train'' show that the boys have lost none of there humour, or there kust for singing about girls. 'Don't Leave Me' has some pretty good riffs to it. Lyrics wise, ''donb't leave me all aone/jsut drop me off at home/i'll be fine it's not the first/just like last time/but a little worse'' leave a lot to be desired.not a potentially great song. 'Aliens Exist' on the other hand has enough potential to make even the most ardent hater blush with embaressment. ''hey mom/theres something in the back room/hope it's not those creatures from above/you used to read me storys/as if my dreams were boring/we all know conspiracies are dumb''. 'Going Away To College' is a typical song about going in different directions (in life, y'know like going to different colleges etc.) and trying to make a relationship work. This is a classic Blink song and one of my favourites. ;What's My Age Again'. Everyone knows this song, purely because it helped these three hit the fabled ''Big Time''. The video containing the boys running around naked didn't harm sales either. Lyrics like ''and later on/on the drive home/ I called her mom/from a pay phone/i said I as the cops/and your husbands in jail/the state looks down on sodomy/and that's about the time that bitch hung up on me'' show that the ripe old age of 28-29 (ish) this band shows no intention of growing up. 'Dysentry Gary' also shows the childish side of the band. as with the previous track, this songcontains some classic and funny words. ''i'd like to catch him friday night/hanging out with his mom/trying on his fathers tights'' They are still as funny as ever. Whereas the previous tracks have all been upbeat and funny, this next supplement 'Adams Song', shows a sadder and more heartfelt side to the band.the slowest song and perhaps the best, lyrics like ''i never thought/i'd die alon/i laughed the loudest/who'd have known'' show that the band have a sensetive side and show compassion towards the harder side of life. that however is thrown out the window on the next track, 'All The Small Things'. ''late night/come home/work sucks/i know/she left me roses by the stairs/surprises let me know she cares''. This is an ode to Toms girlfriend. But not in a romantic way do I find this track an amazing one. I find it an amazing track purely because it is a fast/slow/fast/slow track and I find it to be funny, unlike the previous track. 'The Party Song' is perhaps the only track I really loathe. I don't find it at all exciting so I will skip it. 'Mutt' is however a good track. a song about a relationship purely about sex, and nothing else, this is a track that can get me moshing. 'Wendy Clear' is a pretty sow track but again a great one. word structures suc has ''let's take the boat out on the bay/forget your job for just one day/i wish it didn't have to be so bad'' show that this band can write some of the best song s i, at least, have ever heard. The closing track 'Anthem' is once again a track I don't rate to highly. It is not entirely a bad song, but it doesn't have the potential that the others do.....
There you have my thought on this album, and each song.
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