Blink-182 - Neighborhoods

This has the possibility to be a very contentious interview, especially for readers my age. But don't worry, I won't savage this album just because I listen to different things than I did in 2000. Despite the fact that must of us who grew up with them now know that Blink-182 and pop punk bands are not really universal enough to do many great things musically, there will always be that inexplicable nostalgic force that pulls us back to them from time to time.

On "Neigborhoods" the band has stuck with the formula that catapulted them to fame during the 90s and the early 2000s. The band tries to break out but falls a bit short of being anything they haven't in the past.

For example, bonus track "Snake Charmer" has more tame moments than I'm used to hearing in a blink track but with all the usual angstiness. The super-phased guitar intro sounds slightly shoe-gazey but then is slammed back into chugging power-chords. Little blips like this definitely inform a sadder overall mood than anything we've ever heard from them but then again, before they were bubble gum so it's not really that sad, overall.

While the pop-punk flavor still exists, songs like "Up all Night" and "Ghost on the Dancefloor" have an updated sound including electronic swishing and textures. These are predictable given the musical climate and while they aren't examples of over-production, don't change the band's sound all that much.

The cover art and the title of "Neighborhoods" (strikingly similar to titles like "The Suburbs") show that the band at least is trying to go a more post-modern angle, even if only very superficially.

There are a few tracks that could have been pulled off older releases (like "Natives") and there are some slight experiments as well. Judging the band by its own merit, "Neighborhoods" is a nice walk down memory lane but little more. Really though, how can you expect more from a band with such a stylized sound?

Grade: C+