Neighborhoods

Artist: Blink-182
Label: Universal
Website: www.blink182.com

I recommend going back and listening to Blink-182's early records Cheshire Cat [1994] and Dude Ranch [1997] before taking Neighborhoods for a spin. I say this because as Blink-182 return from an 8 year hiatus, I think it is important to remember where they started, because those two early records posses some great punk pop songs that still today sound great today.

Moving into the current status of Blink-182 you will instantly notice the more mature emo approach Neighborhoods emotes. In fact, the 2nd song "Natives" does well bringing back the band's old spirit but it is not really until the 7th track, "Heart's All Gone" where the band lets their old punk vigor totally out of the box.

Now, I never expected Neighborhoods to relive Blink's early years because let's face it - everyone gets older, people have kids (yeah they change you) and drummer Travis Barker almost died in a 2008 plane crash. With that said, some of the songs on Neighborhoods just don't fit, such as the keyboard driven bouncy "This Is Home" and even the first single, "Up All Night" that feels like it tries too hard to be serious and radio friendly.

The bottom line here is that I am glad to see Blink-182 back but Neighborhoods only brings them back in pieces, as the band needs to realize that they can still be totally serious while cranking out the pop punk they are known for. This is where Neighborhoods stumbles because this trio stands out when they bring the punk and nobody in the genre is any catchier.

Christopher Anthony

For more of Christopher Anthony's music reviews, check out The Fire Note