California discussion

[fElon]

Ghent your whole "Tom" theory falls apart with me (guys who are critical of the new Blink are tombots). Maybe it is true in certain situations but it ain't true here.

I know we are covering old ground, but I just didn't think the album was that great, it was ok, and it pisses me off that they brought it some saw'd off prick to help, and we've been over this, but it kind of blows my mind that more people don't have an issue with that. But whatever not getting on that debate again.

So in summary, I am happy they got back together, and are writing new music, and all of that, but I think your assessment is way too positive, and its like you sit here and try to discredit every single bit of the negative, like its a perfect situation. Its NOT!

[Ghent]

They have had a #1 single, are about to have a second #1 single, haven't even released the song with the most general potential, got nominated for their first Grammy ever, nominated for iheartradio awards, are touring the world and having a blast, and you are sitting here telling me how shitty of a place the band is in.

#meh

[fElon]

1 minute ago, Ghent said:

They have had a #1 single, are about to have a second #1 single, haven't even released the song with the most general potential, got nominated for their first Grammy ever, nominated for iheartradio awards, are touring the world and having a blast, and you are sitting here telling me how shitty of a place the band is in.

#meh

That's great, good for them, but I guess I don't base how I think things are based on billboards, album sales, and award shows or I don't put much stock in it. Obviously I don't want albums to flop but it doesn't factor in to how much I like something.

Justin Bieber does amazing too.

[Ghent]

The label paid for the success, feldmann is a "saw'd off prick", it's all fake, blah blah

don't care...i like it! great time to be a fan. haven't been able to say that since high school really

[Champ182]

3 hours ago, kcx182 said:

I'm not agreed with you guys, I'm really excited about blink future. They have a Grammy nomination, deluxe album on the way, tv apparences and also media coverage. I like the way the things moving forward. Sometimes I think that you all really don't know what you want from the guys.

I'd want the Grammy nomination, deluxe album, tv appearances, media coverage AND songs that I love. I'm not angry at them or anything like that, it's just a funny place in Blink history right now when they're doing all the things I wanted them to be doing since the reunion BUT they're doing it with songs that don't appeal to me nearly as much as all their other albums. So it's bittersweet, I guess I'd say.

[_Kyle_]

1 hour ago, Ghent said:

I spent a good 2 or 3 years here being called out for being too negative. no blind devotion here.

just happened to be stoked when my band is active, enjoying themselves, and having success. it's cool to be resistant since Tom's not in the band or whatever you guys get all uptight about, but i'm just not feeling it. Love the current state of the band ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'd say the band would be worse with Tom. Maybe if he wrote for them, and then let them do whatever, it would be better, but honestly asking for Tom back wouldn't do us any good. I think he would just be his lazy self.

[Ghent]

If Tom was singing these same songs the place would be going wild. It's to be expected I guess, understandable. perceptions will change over time

[fElon]

42 minutes ago, Ghent said:

The label paid for the success, feldmann is a "saw'd off prick", it's all fake, blah blah

don't care...i like it! great time to be a fan. haven't been able to say that since high school really

"They are getting an award" "But the charts say its great" "Jerry Finn did it too" "How do you how much Feldman wrote" "you are just a tombot!" blah blah blah

I can play your game too. As usual, you are good on one liners, short on any substantive debate.

Again, you like it, and that's great. But there are valid reasons to think it is not that great, and you are unable to really formulate any response to that to be fair.

[boxelder]

i wouldn't say i'm totally happy with where this band is at: california is enjoyable but nowhere near good, the chemistry between mark and matt is either nonexistent or still weird, there's a lack of humor in live shows now, feldmann's production is harsh...

but i'm optimistic for their future. i think matt and mark have a good album inside of them, and now that they've spent a large part of 2 years together, we might begin seeing the results of that (hopefully). i'm excited for their grammy nom, i'm very happy for the chart success, etc, etc. i always hoped and believed blink could be a "big" band again... i just really enjoy seeing them make new fans or be successful. and i think sober is gonna blast the doors wide open for them. but:

35 minutes ago, Champ182 said:

it's just a funny place in Blink history right now when they're doing all the things I wanted them to be doing since the reunion BUT they're doing it with songs that don't appeal to me nearly as much as all their other albums. So it's bittersweet, I guess I'd say.

100%.

[Ghent]

26 minutes ago, Olidamus said:

"They are getting an award" "But the charts say its great" "Jerry Finn did it too" "How do you how much Feldman wrote" "you are just a tombot!" blah blah blah

I can play your game too. As usual, you are good on one liners, short on any substantive debate.

Again, you like it, and that's great. But there are valid reasons to think it is not that great, and you are unable to really formulate any response to that to be fair.

I am under no obligation to "formulate a response" to anything you say to me. This isn't high school debate class Oliver.

If it was, I would mention that you like to accuse people of using strawman arguments against you. Well I think you use similar debate tactics/fallacies... most notably red herrings.

Someone disagrees with you and you instantly go to "ghent one liners" "ghent can't back up his claims" etc etc as a way to divert attention to a different topic.

[Champ182]

32 minutes ago, Ghent said:

If Tom was singing these same songs the place would be going wild. It's to be expected I guess, understandable. perceptions will change over time

I actually wondered this too, about myself haha. But then I sort of imagined "Oim in dyeep with a gurl and she's yout uffer moooind" and the song still didn't work great for me. Haha

[Nasa]

I'm happy for blink! This is the first time in my life when they're relevant in mainstream music for the first time in years and everyone around me recognizes them. When I talk to people who like the new blink I try not to dwell on my dislike for California too much and instead direct them toward blink's previous work which they almost always like. So I'm creating new fans out of calibots!  

I'd say their future is pretty bright. They have chart success, a Grammy nomination, actual media coverage, etc. All of this success is commercial and dependent on the release of their lowest quality album yet, but unfortunately I honestly don't think that blink is the type of band to experience success based on critical acclaim, which is what I wanted but have since given up on. Their past albums have received positive reviews both when they were originally released and retrospectively, but that doesn't mean you think "critically acclaimed" when you hear blink 182. You think of their commercial popularity--and that is what Mark values and always has valued. So their future is certainly bright based on the metric they've operated on since EOTS. My personal relationship with the band as a hardcore fan is looking to have a pretty dark future, but I have other bands to love, whereas Mark has only one. 

[Blink182acti0n]

I still listen to California regularly. Definitely have listen to it more than I did with neighborhoods. I stopped listening to neighborhoods a week after it came out. I felt like I had to force my self to listen to it later on because it was the "new blink" album. Pretty sad I had to justify my self every time I tried to listen to it. "This is the new blink!" Then get disappointed. I haven't had to force myself to listen to California.

[Dylan_]

You can definitely be happy for the band and their current success but also upset with the new album and also the direction they seem to be heading. I think it's cool that they have been on national TV and had a number 1 album but that honestly doesn't do much for me. I just want a great fucking album with awesome songs and I still wouldn't care if it went number 1 or if it flopped.

[Lauren]

You know, alkaline uses woah-oh's a lot too. 

[Nosferatu]

I haven't listened to California fully in ages now. I listen to about five songs from it, that's all. I'll just put Enema and Dude Ranch on if I want some pop punk with the teenage lyrics. The one thing I find annoying with California is that it doesn't sound like the pop punk blink is known for. Sounds like all the bands from the middle 2000s and onwards, but with the voices of Mark & Skiba. Heck, I can't stand Simple Plan or Good Charlotte, but songs like I'd Do Anything, Girls & Boys, Hold On and all have more value to me. California has no lasting power like the songs I just mentioned.

Call it nostalgia or not, those songs are just better IMO. There's no point in trying to recreate something from the past. Recreating that terrible pop punk from the middle 2000s and after but with a blink twist to it. That's what I feel blink did. I would've actually enjoyed the album way more if they came up with the Enema and Dude Ranch pop punk, but they came up with songs that are like a hybrid of blink, ATL, Fall Out Boy, Panic, Paramore and more. Personally, I'd rather they sound like a hybrid of the Cure, Refused, Descendents, Fugazi but with the blink twist.

Whatever happened to them writing songs based on their influences or what they currently like? I always loved that they merged the sound of bands they were influenced by with their own twist added to it. There's just no way in hell I can imagine Mark listening to the likes of All Time Low then one day find inspiration. That's how you know Feldman was massively involved compared to Jerry Finn. Jerry Finn didn't help blink the way Feldman has. Seems to me Jerry only helped to polish these songs when they were rerecorded in the studio, not be another band member actually writing lyrics, or suggesting full song ideas.

Dumpweed, Aliens Exist, What's My Age Again, Dysentery Gary, the Party Song, Wendy Clear, Anthem, Man Overboard all were demos from 1998. Mutt although not on this demo, was written whilst Scott was still in the band. Them songs were written 1-2 years before Enema was even released. Two weeks of recording a bunch of songs written like a year previously. The only other four tracks with no record of being there way before are All the Small Things, Don't Leave Me, Going Away to College and Adam's Song. There's no way Jerry had the input Feldman did over the writing stage IMO.
 

California isn't bad. There are some killer songs on there but for all the killer songs on it, there's also a load of shite on it IMO. Blink were way more genuine with Enema of the State than California IMO. I'd rather compare California to TOYPAJ, another album I don't like outside of a few songs. They are the two worst blink albums for me. The only thing California has over that album is the best songs are a slight bit better than Take Off's best songs. California's weak songs are worse than Take Off's weak songs. My opinion.

[Kay]

1 hour ago, RAX said:

You know, alkaline uses woah-oh's a lot too. 

No one is saying woah-ohs are bad, but they are when the record is jam packed with them at every given opportunity. 

[Dylan_]

23 minutes ago, Nosferatu said:

I haven't listened to California fully in ages now. I listen to about five songs from it, that's all. I'll just put Enema and Dude Ranch on if I want some pop punk with the teenage lyrics. The one thing I find annoying with California is that it doesn't sound like the pop punk blink is known for. Sounds like all the bands from the middle 2000s and onwards, but with the voices of Mark & Skiba. Heck, I can't stand Simple Plan or Good Charlotte, but songs like I'd Do Anything, Girls & Boys, Hold On and all have more value to me. California has no lasting power like the songs I just mentioned.

Call it nostalgia or not, those songs are just better IMO. There's no point in trying to recreate something from the past. Recreating that terrible pop punk from the middle 2000s and after but with a blink twist to it. That's what I feel blink did. I would've actually enjoyed the album way more if they came up with the Enema and Dude Ranch pop punk, but they came up with songs that are like a hybrid of blink, ATL, Fall Out Boy, Panic, Paramore and more. Personally, I'd rather they sound like a hybrid of the Cure, Refused, Descendents, Fugazi but with the blink twist.

Whatever happened to them writing songs based on their influences or what they currently like? I always loved that they merged the sound of bands they were influenced by with their own twist added to it. There's just no way in hell I can imagine Mark listening to the likes of All Time Low then one day find inspiration. That's how you know Feldman was massively involved compared to Jerry Finn. Jerry Finn didn't help blink the way Feldman has. Seems to me Jerry only helped to polish these songs when they were rerecorded in the studio, not be another band member actually writing lyrics, or suggesting full song ideas.

Dumpweed, Aliens Exist, What's My Age Again, Dysentery Gary, the Party Song, Wendy Clear, Anthem, Man Overboard all were demos from 1998. Mutt although not on this demo, was written whilst Scott was still in the band. Them songs were written 1-2 years before Enema was even released. Two weeks of recording a bunch of songs written like a year previously. The only other four tracks with no record of being there way before are All the Small Things, Don't Leave Me, Going Away to College and Adam's Song. There's no way Jerry had the input Feldman did over the writing stage IMO.
 

California isn't bad. There are some killer songs on there for all the killer songs on it, there's also a load of shite on it IMO. Blink were way more genuine with Enema of the State than California IMO. I'd rather compare California to TOYPAJ, another album I don't like outside of a few songs. They are the two worst blink albums for me. The only thing California has over that album is the best songs are a slight bit better than Take Off's best songs. California's weak songs are worse than Take Off's weak songs. My opinion.

[Ghent]

I've been reading Travis' biography (everyone should read it btw)..found it interesting that Travis didn't get writing credits on Enema of the State and wouldn't have gotten them on TOYPAJ had he not demanded a share.

[Kay]

Just now, Ghent said:

I've been reading Travis' biography (everyone should read it btw)..found it interesting that Travis didn't get writing credits on Enema of the State and wouldn't have gotten them on TOYPAJ had he not demanded a share.

Yeah I thought that was ridiculous. the book is horrifying in a lot of ways. I both gained and lost respect for him a bunch of times reading it.