Blink 182 Blink-182 CD

This is an Enhanced CD which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Blink 182: Tom DeLonge (vocals, guitar); Mark Hoppus (vocals, bass); Travis Landon Barker (drums).
Additional personnel includes: Robert Smith (vocals); Ken Andrews (various instruments); Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., Jon Morrical (keyboards).
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
There comes a time in every punk's life where he or she has to grow up, or at least acknowledge that maturity is just around the corner. blink-182 put it off for as long as they could, but ten years into their career and two albums after their big breakthrough, 1999's Enema of the State, they decided to make a stab at being grown-ups for their eponymous sixth studio album. As with many self-titled albums, the trio uses this as an attempt to redefine itself, and they have considerably expanded both their sonic template and lyrical outlook on blink-182. They're still rooted in punk-pop, but even songs that stretch no further than that sound are a little darker, a little restless, reflecting the overall mood of the record. In shorthand, this is the record where blink-182 delve into post-punk, opting for some appealingly sullen moodiness, off-kilter hooks, lots of sonic textures, and even a duet with the Cure's Robert Smith. Since the trio is an inherently catchy group, this is a far cry from neo-post-punk groups like Interpol or even the dynamically hooky Hot Hot Heat, but there is a greater variety of sounds on blink-182 than on any of the trio's other albums, and the songwriting is similarly adventurous, alternating punchy, impassioned punk-pop with weirder, atmospheric pieces like "Down" and "I'm Lost Without You." If nothing on the album has the immediate impact of "All the Small Things" -- though the opener, "Feeling This," comes close -- and if, on the whole, blink-182 isn't as bracing or visceral as Dude Ranch or Enema, so be it: there's more to explore on this album than any of their other records. It's an unexpected and welcome maturation from a band that just an album ago seemed permanently stuck in juvenilia. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
In the world of emo and pop-punk, 2003 not only found Blink 182 qualifying for the early bird special, but the creators of a self-titled outing that represents a big step in musical maturity for a band best known for serial nudity and a jokey, skate-punk attitude. Rest assured, this trio hasn't lost its taste for serious riffing and catchy-as-all-get-out harmonies, as evidenced by the thumping "Go," the jittery "Stockholm Syndrome," and the anthemic "Easy Target."
For the most part, however, Blink 182 has cast a wide net in tweaking their sound, be it the stripped-down combination of Tom DeLonge's surf guitar and the finger snaps that define "Violence" or the tight shuffle drummer Travis Barker employs throughout "I Miss You." A singing and songwriting cameo by the Cure's Robert Smith on "All of This" makes for a strange surprise, but given the more serious approach taken by the Blink boys on this go-round, the moody ambiance finds Smith's appearance fitting hand in glove. Just when it would have been easy to write Blink 182 off a yesterday's news, the trio proves that there is musical life for thirtysomething punk rockers.Rolling Stone (12/25/03, p.104) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2003"
Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.202) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Their lyrics are still unsophisticated and lovelorn, but even the poppiest tunes prove artful. Maturity suits these guys..."
Spin (01/04, p.97) - "...A dark, emotionally intense record, best experienced on headphones..." - Grade: A-
Entertainment Weekly (11/21/03, pp.82-4) - "...The San Diego snot-core trio has dropped the potty humor and made its most expansive and...mature...CD yet....the band rejiggers its multiplatinum pop-punk formula with adventurous production choices..." - Rating: A-