Are you Feeling This? (Blink-182 - blink-182)

Member Name: cream_cracker

Product:	Blink-182 - blink-182
Date:	28/05/04 (209 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great songs, Some of these great songs you won't hear unless you get the album, Yet more quality songs

Disadvantages: Stupid spoken introducition to Stockholm Syndrome, The Fallen Interlude

Well, surprise surprise. I?m back. And I?m bad?at thinking of titles. My God, that was dreadful. Let?s move on before I start making jokes about curtains - it?s safest not to ask.

But, more objectively, there is a surprising point about this review; it is the first review on Blink182?s latest album, which was actually released back in the realms of history. The sole reason I haven?t already bored you senseless with my opinions on this album was that I assumed there would be 500 million reviews on it already and one more would hardly be noticed, let alone be useful. This idea wasn?t too far fetched; there are 68 reviews at the minute on Enema of the State and 42 on Take Off your Pants and Jacket. I supposed that the same would apply here, but it wasn?t to be. I am too tired to wonder why.

I am sure you all know as much as will ever want to know about the band?s history, and if you don?t them I am sure some nice, kind, caring person has put it up on a different review. As I haven?t done this I shall pretend it isn?t interesting to read and that you can get by without it. Instead of informing you of some currently little known but soon to be amazingly important facts, I shall plough on with the review itself. This was one of the CDs I bought in Russia for £3, but is subtly different from most of the others gained in this trip in that I actually wanted to get this CD having heard vague but positive accounts of it from friends. The downside of getting Russian CDs is that you don?t get the words in the front cover leaflet (I fail to see how a little more printing on a little more paper adds up to £12 difference with British CDs, but that?s life for you). However, from the outside they look identical; you can see the happy little picture up there. Aren?t you the lucky

ones.
To make a move onto the music itself:

1) Feeling this
Surely everyone must know this already. It had loads of plays on music channels, although not so much on my local radio station. If by some freak of serendipity you haven?t heard it, it is basically an excellent song ? fast and bouncy. The chorus is really really really catchy, annoyingly it got stuck in my head for a week when I was skiing, but I didn?t actually mind because it?s so happy and, well, cheerful. The verses are not easy to pick up; it took me a few goes to be able to say all of them along with him. Beware that without the backing and him saying them you sound like a right pillock saying them randomly in the same manner as one sings randomly. However, it has come through its ?I am stickier than treacle toffee? phase and the difficult verses to remain one of my top songs on this album. Go download it, and see what you?re missing.

2) Obvious
This starts with pretty slow but relatively strong guitars. They do their sweet little thing a few times and then the vocals cut in. This track is less impressive than the previous one. It is still easy to sing along to but the tune is not really what you might call inspired. Plus, after about 10 listenings the way he says ?obvious?, like ?ob-vi-uuussss? has really started to bug me. Obviously, ?obvious? was an obvious choice for more obvious and clear lyrics (how many times can I fit obvious into a sentence? Oh, the things I do for a good time). Having read all that outburst through I reckon it looks like I don?t like the song, but I do. I am infinitely grateful for its simple lyrics allowing me to sing along with apparent ease after only hearing it once. It?s just that if you listen to it over and over again it gets a just a leetle over repetitive. Which you sensible people are unlikely to do. So
that
won't be a problem. Moving on.

3) I miss you
The second single to be lifted from this album, so again you are likely to have heard it. I like this song quite a lot, the only problem being that the first verse is too low for me to sing along unless I attempt a strange sort of rumble that sends neighbouring cats skittering off to hide trembling behind dustbins as they quiver. However, this problem vanishes in the second verse when we shoot up an octave making it all super duper. The chorus is catchy and simple enough to be another popular song (hence the release, stupid). This would probably be a good song to play if you, uh, miss someone. Woah, brain working at hyper speed there.

4) Violence
First scary title of the album. The introduction is drums and this sounds remarkably like a percussion instrument I played in year five, comprising of a long wooden tube and a stick to whack it with. Ah, happy memories. This song is actually very good, the trademark catchy chorus interspersed with spoken verses. I must say I prefer the good ol?fashioned sung verses, but you can?t have everything and these aren?t a bad attempt at something different. The lyrics spoken are good, not just a random collection of words that rhyme as some people make do with, but seemingly thought out, which always makes me, the consumer, always feel kinda special.

5) Stockholm Syndrome
This is one of my favourite tracks, despite a totally pointless, tremendously frustrating woman speaking a ridiculously protracted introduction. Skip that and focus on the song. Actually it?s kinda hard to miss it because it sort of crashes straight in after that silly woman?s quiet thing and picks up the pace and vitality of the album again after the previous more lenient tracks. It?s one of those songs that make me nod my head in a ludicrous fashion and sing along
meaning I both look and sound like a raving lunatic. But that?s not always a bad thing, because this is a good song.

6) Down
This is one of my fair to middlin? songs of the CD. I am not particularly enamoured by it, but then I harbour no dislike for it in my bosom. It?s one of those songs that I just don?t think about that much ? it doesn?t stick in my head, but I can remember the words if called upon to do so. Not really a bad song in so much as an uninteresting song. Musically, there is nothing wrong with it. It just doesn?t attract me.

7) The Fallen Interlude
Tell me, pray, what is the purpose of this track? For 2 minutes and 12 seconds there is just this marginally annoying repeated spread chord and drums. I dare say the production of it is excellent, but why oh why did they bother producing it? I generally forget this is even on the album due to my speedy changing of the track when it comes on. It?s not that I dislike it, but more that I am worried that if I listen to too much of it I shall fall asleep under the influence of spread chords.

8) Go
Thank the Lord, after all that slow stuff I was getting worried. This is signature Blink182; it could easily have come off a previous album. It?s practically effervescing with energy. The words are not too simple to pick up but you too can yell ?Go! Go! Go! Go!? in the chorus until you have worked out the other words. Not one of my favourites, but a well enough liked song.

9) Asthenia
A word I haven?t come across before. On looking it up I have discovered it means weakness. Well, you learn something new every day. It starts very quietly and gently, a stark contrast with the crashing disarray just heard. Guitars build up pretty slowly until suddenly the song is in full blown bo
unce mode.
It?s another mediocre song. Actually, these songs are really pretty good, it?s just that the standard of the rest of the album is also good so they sort of stick out as being not as good. If you get my drift.

10) Always
Ah, now, I do like this one, if only because the ideas it describes are just so cute. I mean, when there?s this guy singing ?Come on let me hold you, touch you, feel you, always? doesn?t that make your heart melt, and make you want to go around hugging people? Just me? Never mind, just as long as you appreciate the sentiment. The song itself has a neat little chorus that is good to sing along to, but be careful not to look too hard at any one person in particular throughout the chorus or they could get they wrong idea. But, no matter what you do, make sure that you enjoy the song because it's here to be enjoyed.

11) Easy target
This kicks off with a drum solo along the rhythm of that football one when you go ?clap, clap, clap clap clap, clap clap clap clap, ENGLAND!!!? which cripples my ability to take it seriously. The song itself isn?t too bad but it doesn?t really stick out from the many others in this genre. Perfectly passable as songs go.

12) All of this
This smacks, in pace, of ?the fallen interlude? and is only marginally better. The verses are bearable, and the chorus would also be passable if it weren?t for the fact it is repeated several million times too many. This I can handle as a backing track for say, maths homework, when my brain is already made into a sort of gooey smush (lovely image), but at other times I?m afraid it gets flicked onwards.

13) Here?s your letter
Possibly my favourite track. It?s another that could easily have been on, say, Take Off your Pants and Jacket, except it?s better. It not only energi
ses, but makes me fee
l kinda positive (this is remarkable as its hardly cheerful lyrics describe how he has broken up with someone and is telling them how he feels in a letter). I actually do not want this one to end when it does. I spent a few goes learning the words so I could sing it out. I dance around the room to it. Everything I do for a pretty good song comes together making this a damned exceptional song ,and much under sung example of one such track (ok I just wanted to fit in a ?under sung?/?song? reference there, which has amused me to no end. Ignore it if you wish).

14) Lost without you
Shockingly calm and quiet after the previous bonanza of sound, but the beat is steady and keeps it moving on. I also really like this song and love belting it out. I suppose it would be termed a ballad, but the lines determining that genre are blurred so I won?t go into a debate with myself on whether it is or not. Let it be understood that it is a wonderful slow song and you should get the album and hear it.

15) Anthem Part 2 (live)
Well, I don?t really object to this but I am not quite sure for what purpose it is here, on the end, seemingly randomly. I like the song, but then I did before. Nothing new here, move on folks?

Oh, how unfair, that?s where this CD ends.

And, to recapitulate. I love this album. However many ?fallen interludes? they may shove in, the quality of the other songs is exceedingly high. In addition to the singles, there are a few unsung gems (sorry. Am I the only one that finds this amusing?). There isn?t that much I can say anymore, other than to get your shut tail off that chair, get out the house and buy it because it?s not only supporting the music industry, it?s also in your own interests. Go!

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