After many years of being on their record label Interscope records, kings of the pop-punk genre Blink-182 announced back in November that they were ditching the record label and striking out on their own. This is a bold move for many bands, but with the fame and discography of Blink-182, if anyone could pull off self financing and promotion it was them. Excited to be working on their own terms, they headed into the studio and on December 18th they released a 5 song EP(extended play) album called 'Dogs Eating Dogs'. Haven't seen it on the shelves? That is not because it didn't fare well, on the contrary upon release it held the number 1 spot on Itunes for a week straight, the fact is the album was only released digitally and has yet to see a physical release. So how does 'Dogs Eating Dogs' hold up against their past work? Well if you are a fan of their lighthearted, sometimes comical albums such as 'Enema of the State' or 'Take off Your Pants and Jacket', then you may be disappointed, but if you are a fan of their darker and more mature sound displayed on their 'Untitled' album or 2010's 'Neighborhoods', then this album may actually hold a large amount of enjoyment for you. Let us look at the album track by track, and see how each song holds up to an avid Blink fan and fan of the genre itself.
The album starts off strong with the intro track of 'When I Was Young'. A mix of everything they have done on their more recent mature albums, and a dash of their side projects that all members worked on during their 6 year hiatus, When I Was Young actually stands out pretty well as one of the stronger songs on the album. With great guitar and drum work, the song has a very catchy beat and the lyrics are right along side it. Describing the feelings of someone reflecting on their past and how it was to be a kid compared to adulthood, 'When I Was Young' is sung by guitarist Tom Delonge, and explores someone in a rough spot in their life looking back on how simple childhood was, and using those memories to remind themselves that what they are going through isn't so bad. Lyrics like “When I was young, the world it was smaller, the cities were vast and the buildings were taller. I felt very strong, my parents seemed stronger” drive home the point of looking back at the past.
The second song on the album is the title track 'Dogs Eating Dogs', and this song really explodes from the minute it kicks off. Fast paced heavy guitars, and the verses sung by bassist Mark Hoppus, the song is very related to Hoppus' +44 side project as well as the 'Untitled' sound of Blink. With the choruses sung by Delonge, the song uses a lot of the give and take strength between both singers, and the verses and chorus coincide with each other to describe a dog eat dog world, with the emotions of how much of a struggle every day is belting out from each line. This is one of the strongest tracks on the album, and has everything a Blink fan looks for; dual vocals, Travis Barker's in your face drumming, catchy fast paced guitar work, and a chorus that hooks you in.
The third song on the album falters a little, and is titled 'Disaster'. This song is heavily influenced by Tom Delonge's side project band, and sounds a lot like Angels & Airwaves featuring Mark Hoppus. Featuring space rock intros, high pitched and fast guitars, the song deals with love and the overcoming of the obstacles that stand in the way of someone's true love. The song holds its own, but is a bit side tracked by the Angels & Airwaves influence.
The fourth song is again, a strong point for the EP. 'Boxing Day' is a departure from their normal style, featuring an acoustic almost folkish sounding guitar. The trade off vocals are present in this one again, and are very cohesive with Tom singing the verses and Mark singing the chorus. The song is a semi 'holiday' song, but not really. The song deals with someone who has just been left by their significant other on the day after Christmas, and like the day after Christmas where everything is said and done, and the presents and family are gone, they feel empty and swept under the rug. The Christmas references are light, so the song is enjoyable at all times of the year. The chorus deals with the feeling of loss, while the verses deal with the desire to try again, with lyrics such as 'I'll search this land, up through the clouds and back here. We could reignite, like fire flies, like an atom bomb at all hours.' With a great mixture of the acoustic guitar and electronic drums, the song is very addictive and makes you want to just get up and dance despite the dark tone of the lyrics.
The final track is 'Pretty Little Girl', a song written by Delonge for his wife. This song has a lot to offer, and shows that the band is not afraid to push their limits and experiment, even if it doesn't hit bulls eye every time. Lyrically and musically, the song follows where Blink has been headed all along, with a mixture of their more mature sound with their lighthearted early days. The only thing that this track has against it however, is a 30 second guest verse by rap artist Yelawolf in the last minute and a half of the song. While rock and rap can collaborate wonderfully sometimes, for a Blink-182 song it just seems out of place and really takes the listener out of the song. While the rest of the track is great, that 30 second bit is enough to displace your enjoyment of the song and merit a fast forward for 30 seconds.
Overall, Blink-182 did a fantastic job with this EP, as shown by holding the number 1 spot on Itunes for the first week of the EP's digital release. The album shows that Blink is still strong, knows what they are doing now that they are on their own, and that they are not afraid to grow and mature as a band, experimenting along the way and seeing what hits and what fails. The EP is not their best material by a long shot, but it is a very strong release that merits at least a try to see if any of the songs hook you in. Not only does the EP please the makers of the music and fans alike, but is also a very highly recommended listen to people unfamiliar with their work. Overall, I would give this album a rating of 4.2/5, and recommend it to anyone interested in trying it out.
No comments:
Post a Comment