Neighborhoods [CD]

Before we get into each song. Buy the deluxe version. It flows much better and is obviously how the band intended the album to be heard.

Ghost on the Dancefloor (8.5/10)
Really fun catchy opening track. Begins with an infectious poppy guitar riff made for dancing. Lyrically it is about hearing a song that reminds you of time spent with a close friend who has died. The chorus is very anthemic, and Mark's harmonies highlight a major asset blink have over most bands, two sings whose vocals work wonderfully together.

Natives (9/10)
Natives then explodes, showcasing for the first time (but thankfully not the last) the utterly incredible talents of Mr Travis Barker. The opening riff is reminiscent of Young London by Angels and Airwaves, but the pace of the song are much more punk rock than AvA. The verses are delivered quickly with a chugging drive by Tom, and it is good to hear him singing something a little more frenetic than we have been used to. Mark takes chorus vocal duties, keeping the theme of heavy guitars and dark lyrics.

Up All Night (7.5)
You've probably all heard this already. Works better in the context of the album than as a first single. The opening riff is quite cool and used again as an outro-breakdown. Nice how they trade lines throughout the verses. Again, lyrically dark, but delivered over quite light guitars (apart from the riff), with strong stadium rock sensibilities. Not a disappointment, but if you weren't a fan of this, do not fear. It is not a highlight.

After Midnight (8/10)
A slow love song. Beautifully written, with Tom taking the verses and Mark the chorus. Quite light, dreamy guitar lines play beneath the singing. The tempo is not too dissimilar to I Miss You, though it is not as catchy.

Snake Charmer (8/10)
One of the most experimental tracks. Opens with a riff very similar to The Machine by AvA. The verses are very stripped back with bass and a minor key piano line exploding into a catchy, easy-to-sing-along- to chorus. The topic is Adam and Eve, with the stand out line "Good girls like to sin" repeated several times. The outro is an instrumental version of the verses. Even a little bit like Freak On A Leash by Korn (in a good way!)

Heart's All Gone Interlude
The interlude is magic. At first it reminds me of Adam's Song intro slowed down and made more haunting, as if they are looking back at that and sad that those times are over, then towards the end when the guitar comes in and makes it a little less sombre it's as if they are looking forward, then BOOM...Heart's All Gone

Heart's All Gone (8.5/10)
If any song deserves the speakers turning to 11, it's this. Travis owns from start to finish, and Mark's harsh, strained vocals give the song a lot of energy. Very fast, very dark, very punk. The instrumental bridge is shows similarities to Stockholm Syndrome but overall it is a mix between Dude Ranch and +44.

Wishing Well (9.5/10)
This is where the album starts to become a true classic. A heavily Tom influenced song. Light, summery guitars and an incredibly catchy verse melody are matched by a very pop-rock and infectious chorus, with some great da-da-da-da-da-da's thrown in for good measure. Lyrically quite poetic with lines such as "I reached out for a shooting star. It burned a hole through my hand. It made its way through my heart. I found it at the promised land."

Kaleidoscope (10/10)
The best song on the album. It starts with a completely addictive, clean riff and some not-so-straightforward background work from Travis. Mark seems a lot more relaxed singing this one, intentional of course as it proves a great foil for when Tom explodes in a crescendo for the chorus. Utterly singable and easy to get stuck in your head. Quite dark and thoughtful. A piano then accompanies the 2nd chorus, adding to the depth of the song. Travis drums purposefully with background guitars slowly building through the bridge, a momentary drop, and then the chorus hurtles back like you were begging it too. The outro is almost a remix, the odd lyric from Tom drifting along, scrambling certain words. The combination of a great riff, Mark's enchanting (and very unusual) lyrics, and Tom's heavy introduction at the chorus are just sublimely weaved together into a song which would work insanely well live or on radio.

This Is Home (9/10)
Time to lighten the mood a little with another pop song from Tom. Lyrically reminiscing of what kids get up to (think Reckless Abandon). Quite heavy synth influences, almost like something from The Killers Hot Fuss album. The line "We dance like f**king animals" is great. Another catchy chorus, lead by Tom with great Mark harmonies. The bridge sees Mark take an understated bass solo before the chorus returns. A sing-along anthem. Summery like Wishing Well.

MH 4.18.2011 (9.5/10)
Fast, fun, and definitely one of the throwbacks they promised. Includes the lyric a lot of people have complimented, "Stop living in the shadow of a helicopter". The verses are extremely infectious, and the chorus is archetypal pop-punk. Could come straight off Take Off Your Pants and Jacket.

Love Is Dangerous (7/10)
The final song on the standard edition of the album. A slow but quite epic opening guitar line is followed by a nice co-led vocal line by both Tom and Mark. The chorus, while not instantly forgettable, doesn't offer anything particularly striking. The phrase "Love Is Dangerous" which is repeated quite a few times is a little bit of a cliché and drops short of the epic statement it is attempting to make, although quiet singing of an alternative chorus line from Mark in the background is quite innovative. The synth used is very reminiscent of AvA and while the song is not hard to listen to, you aren't left wanting anymore once it's finished.

Fighting The Gravity (8.5/10)
This one splits opinion. Very dark and experimental from Mark, it slowly arises, eventually introducing some ghostly background vocals from Mark repeating "It makes no sense". Eventually Mark's verse comes in and the bleak, haunting direction of the song continues with lots of effects and simple drumming. It is cleverly done to suggest Mark is singing but the song is going on over the top of his pleas for help. Think Weatherman by +44 meets the Welcome To Bangkok by Brand New, but with more enchantment than the other two combined. Very striking, very unusual, but adds a whole new dimension to the album all by itself.

Even If She Falls (9/10)
The last song on the deluxe edition. The intro is light, unobtrusive and a little bland, but Toms verses build, Travis' drums slowly quicken and it climaxes with a fantastically cool, pop chorus, where the same guitars from the intro seem so much more at home. Mark's harmonies again add extra depth to the chorus which makes Tom's singing so much more dynamic. A simple but friendly bridge then returns to the chorus, first stripped back, then in all its glory, leaving you no option but to finish listening to the album the way you started. Dancing.

Overall 9.5/10
Such a strong comeback. Relieved and ecstatic in equal measure.

What a fantastic comeback for Blink 182. This album has not dissapointed and is in my oppinion the best one yet. There isn't a single weak track... one or two aren't as strong as others but i don't dislike any of them. There's something for everybody on this album, there are old familiar sounds and there are brand new sounds. A lot of the songs are real feel good tunes and i look forward to listening to the album after a hard day at work. I would recommend this album for ANY Blink fan, past or present. Great work and i look forward to more from them in the future.

After Blink 182 split up in 2005, off the back of the self-titled album - their most musically impressive and mature album, it seemed as if they would never return again. Tom started up his band Angels and airwaves, and Mark and Travis began +44 and then decided to go into producing instead. As a huge fan of Tom's band's material I decided that Blink were history and they finished on a high with easily their best album to date. Many fans would miss them forever but I knew I had left them in the past (with my PE kit!). Then in 2011 after a band reunion and a couple of years of dabbling about with music they release Neighbourhoods, well-overdue! After putting it off for about a month I decided to get the deluxe album (imported!) with the 4 extra tracks (because I really wanted to get the whole feel for the album). Jerry Finn - the bands late producer since Enema of the state, passed away in 2008 and that left them with having to produce it for themselves. The album artwork for the album is very bland with the block drawing of the buildings in black and white and the inner booklet doesn't get anymore creative! Blink's artwork has always been good in the past (especially the self-titled smiley face) but just like the music there's no passionate effort entailed.

The lead single Up all night showed a different style for the band. There was a Blink 182 style to it but the lyrics were much about philosophy and less about genuine feelings and honest rock music like on the self-titled. I hoped for better for the rest of the album!

After years apart doing their own thing the band just doesn't work together anymore. The album is a mess of OK and just plain bad parts. There doesn't seem to be any synchronicity with them and with Tom trying to heavily influence the album with his AVA music and Mark and Travis bringing in their efforts; 5 years after making their last album, it's pretty much a shambles. There's quick flares of decency and then its drowned out with mediocre, boring music. Each member has talent on their instrument but they can't make it come together successfully. Tom's voice spoils the whole album for me - it's just abysmal! I don't know what's happened to him but ever since Love he sounds like he's gargling throughout every song! His Californian twang has just got ridiculous and outright laughable!

Ghost on the dance floor brings us in sounding like the intro of any Angels and airwaves song since I-empire. The guitar riff is pretty good but the lyrics are vague and there's no melody at all. Natives picks up the pace with a pretty punk song. It's one of the few best! There's a good rhythm to it and Mark and Tom each have their part and play it quite well. It's the only song where they both work together properly. Shame this doesn't happen for the rest of the album. There's barely any harmonies by Mark and Tom (prevalent through the self-titled) and this is just one indication of how the band are not working together like last time. Up all night is a disappointment for me but has grown on me with it's drop D guitar tuning and interesting drumming. After midnight is reminiscent of Feeling this for me (the romantic part) with Tom's voice in the verse and Mark in the chorus. It's OK sounding but it's spoilt by cheesy lyrics (although parts of them sound emo). Snake Charmer is one of the best but isn't on the standard issue. It's got a heavy intro and some clever lyrics inspired by the biblical story of Adam and Eve. It's got a big outro which is followed by Heart's all gone interlude (a must have in my opinion because it brings in Heart's all gone and brings the album together). It's a moody piece and gives a different feeling to the following song. Clearly a Mark penned song HAG is a +44 style punk song with a fast beat and hostile lyrics. It's pretty good and Mark's and Travis' most impressive effort. Wishing well is one of Tom's worst performances vocally, with dodgy lyrics and a hybrid of AVA feel and Blink 182 influence that doesn't work. Kaleidoscope is very mediocre throughout with melancholy lyrics and once again spoilt by Tom's voice in the chorus and bridge. This is home is pretty good in parts with a catchy guitar riff and backed with synthesizers. The lyrics are quite humorous but as with every other song it lacks the energy I used to love on Blink's songs but does have Tom and Mark harmonising in the chorus. MH 4.18.2011 (untitled in other words!) is a weak, dreary song, lead by Mark with a chorus inspired by military control. Love is dangerous is another heavily influenced by AVA song but is nowhere near as strong, with very corny and pretty dodgy lyrics and a philosophical message to it. Fighting the gravity is pretty good overall and has that +44 emo style to it. The intro and outro are a little overblown but the chorus and verse is very moody. Instrumentally it's pretty unimpressive though. Even if she falls is AVA influenced and just pure cheese! Many may see the lyrics and sound as sweet but I feel they're monotonous!

After years apart from each other it's damaged the sound of their music and what each member can bring to the table. They're just not a band who can work together with 3 different tastes. They just don't work as a unit anymore and the result is hurt by it. It's a shame they didn't just leave it after the self-titled because in my humble opinion they are a shadow of their former selves.