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Eras that the different band members peaked at


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Tom - Untitled, but  I can see a good progression almost every album until AvA when he became obsessed over delay, synths, U2, and change your life douchebaggery.  Even still, Neighborhoods and DED still have some decent riffs in them. His lyrics have always been off the walls, I don't expect too much but for it to sound good at least. There's a cool progression with Tom's guitar between Enema and TOYPAJ, when he starts to mess around with his riffs a bit more. Tom live at Camden is the shit, especially that Rock Show solo. 

Travis - technically seems to have improved every album and almost appears to be maxed out now (but that's probably also a production thing). I personally like BCR and Untitled drums the most, but the popping sound they had on Enema/TOYPAJ was great as well. Makes you wonder how Enema/TOYPAJ would sound if you had 2003 Travis with more of a role in the band and more technically proficient. 

Mark - lyrically you can probably make a case for Dude Ranch, Enema, Untitled, and +44. Neighborhoods he had a bit of that spark on songs like Hearts All Gone and Kaleidoscope, but less consistency overall. From instrumentals, you could argue any period IMO. Carousel is probably my favourite riff of his, especially the Cheshire Cat version, but he's got some good riffs on almost every album and wrote some of the guitar (Don't Leave Me, half of Neighborhoods, and I heard Dammit at one point but that seems like a Tom riff). 

 

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5 minutes ago, Clar-ke has herpes said:

Tom - Untitled, but  I can see a good progression almost every album until AvA when he became obsessed over delay, synths, U2, and change your life douchebaggery.  Even still, Neighborhoods and DED still have some decent riffs in them. His lyrics have always been off the walls, I don't expect too much but for it to sound good at least. 

Travis - technically seems to have improved every album and almost appears to be maxed out now (but that's probably also a production thing). I personally like BCR and Untitled drums the most, but the popping sound they had on Enema/TOYPAJ was great as well. Makes you wonder how Enema/TOYPAJ would sound if you had 2003 Travis with more of a role in the band and more technically proficient. 

Mark - lyrically you can probably make a case for Dude Ranch, Enema, Untitled, and +44. Neighborhoods he had a bit of that spark on songs like Hearts All Gone and Kaleidoscope, but less consistency overall. From instrumentals, you could argue any period IMO. Carousel is probably my favourite riff of his, especially the Cheshire Cat version, but he's got some good riffs on almost every album and wrote some of the guitar (Don't Leave Me, half of Neighborhoods, and I heard Dammit at one point but that seems like a Tom riff). 

 

Drums on TOYPAJ were way different than Enema, not sure what you’re listening to there. 

I think Tom peaked in 98-2001. That’s if we’re talking about his live performances meaning guitar tone/playing and singing. 

Mark..this is hard to say for me. I don’t know. Just to piss everyone off I’ll say he peaked on california 

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11 minutes ago, The Bean Twiddler said:

Drums on TOYPAJ were way different than Enema, not sure what you’re listening to there. 

I think Tom peaked in 98-2001. That’s if we’re talking about his live performances meaning guitar tone/playing and singing. 

Mark..this is hard to say for me. I don’t know. Just to piss everyone off I’ll say he peaked on california 

Eh I would group those albums together, they're similar enough from a production standpoint. I did write that he got progressively better every album though.

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3 minutes ago, The Bean Twiddler said:

Not hating you just lumped the drums on Enema/toypaj and being the same having the same “pop”

Yeah - I originally misread your post. Given how the style of the band didn't change much nor did the production, lumping them together made sense as an era. As would BCR/Untitled just based on production and style. 

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2 minutes ago, Clar-ke has herpes said:

Yeah - I originally misread your post. Given how the style of the band didn't change much nor did the production, lumping them together made sense as an era. As would BCR/Untitled just based on production and style. 

I agree it was the same era and although the style of blinks overall sound did not change from enema to toypaj, I would argue the drumming and the sound of the drums did. Blink recorded enema the old school way, analog. I believe they started using a lot more computers with TOYPAJ. Travis became a lot les restricted on TOYPAJ, and the drums sounded heavier and louder. He started using a lot more snare sounds varying from song to song as well. It’s one of my favorite albums as far as his drumming went. I have to agree he was sick on boxcar racer. Has he ever really recorded a shitty drum track though? Lol

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Honestly Travis made some of the best drum fills I've ever heard on Neighborhoods and DED but was probably more effortless on Toypaj.

Tom peaked on Boxcar/Untitled, artistically I guess, and had another peak with Rebel Girl.  But was coolest on Toypaj?

Mark I think peaked on Dude Ranch because Dammit was his song and blink was his, but +44 was his best writing.

Feldmann peaked with Here in your bedroom

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50 minutes ago, Clar-ke has herpes said:

Tom - Untitled, but  I can see a good progression almost every album until AvA when he became obsessed over delay, synths, U2, and change your life douchebaggery.  Even still, Neighborhoods and DED still have some decent riffs in them. His lyrics have always been off the walls, I don't expect too much but for it to sound good at least. There's a cool progression with Tom's guitar between Enema and TOYPAJ, when he starts to mess around with his riffs a bit more. Tom live at Camden is the shit, especially that Rock Show solo. 

Travis - technically seems to have improved every album and almost appears to be maxed out now (but that's probably also a production thing). I personally like BCR and Untitled drums the most, but the popping sound they had on Enema/TOYPAJ was great as well. Makes you wonder how Enema/TOYPAJ would sound if you had 2003 Travis with more of a role in the band and more technically proficient. 

Mark - lyrically you can probably make a case for Dude Ranch, Enema, Untitled, and +44. Neighborhoods he had a bit of that spark on songs like Hearts All Gone and Kaleidoscope, but less consistency overall. From instrumentals, you could argue any period IMO. Carousel is probably my favourite riff of his, especially the Cheshire Cat version, but he's got some good riffs on almost every album and wrote some of the guitar (Don't Leave Me, half of Neighborhoods, and I heard Dammit at one point but that seems like a Tom riff). 

 

The best one I've heard from Mark is the Feeling This baseline. 

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20 minutes ago, Nshesaid said:

Honestly Travis made some of the best drum fills I've ever heard on Neighborhoods and DED but was probably more effortless on Toypaj.

Tom peaked on Boxcar/Untitled, artistically I guess, and had another peak with Rebel Girl.  But was coolest on Toypaj?

Mark I think peaked on Dude Ranch because Dammit was his song and blink was his, but +44 was his best writing.

Feldmann peaked with Here in your bedroom

I honestly just love and admire  your love for Rebel Girl. It’s cute like watching your child love a dog. That may not be a good analogy but I had good intentions 

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for mark, there's a strong case to be made that dude ranch was the most confident, strong songwriting he ever did. it's autobiographical, funny, and down-to-earth in ways he never recaptured, specifically on songs like waggy, apple shampoo, and lemmings. but while he faltered over the years -- in his worst state ever right now -- i think he shined the brightest with +44. it was honest in a new way, enveloped in compelling metaphors. creatively, his MUSIC was the best it'd ever be as well. progressive in an interesting way, effortlessly incorporating electronic instrumentation, sonically more interesting soundscapes, and unusual time signatures (without naming a song off it).

tom grew and grew, making his first leap forward with EOTS. that's not to say his previous work was bad, but it lacked comparing to what came later. and what came later was even better: the entirety of untitled is peak tom. great riffs, finally more creative with additional effects. his songwriting was 100% him, unafraid to branch out in new directions (stockholm, aesthenia), and catchy without being cloying. take for example the chorus of i miss you: "don't waste your time ON ME/you're ALREADY/the voice inside my head." likewise, there's a lot of strong moments on WDNTW as well, though they're increasingly burdened down with unnecessarily long intros, boring guitar lines, and clunky lyrics.

with travis, who's always been the most consistently creative and interesting member of the band, i'd say he was always firing on all cylinders. but his greatest work also came on untitled, where the material he delivered with unbridled in its inventiveness... weird, unconventional, sometimes experimental. think the pre-chorus on always, the structure of feeling this, the multiple tracks going on easy target, the dueling drum solo closing out the LP... just wall-to-wall great stuff. from a shallow perspective, he looked cool as fuck back then too haha. what's interesting though is that his work on neighborhoods is WILDLY underrated, and i'd actually put it up there just below untitled. it was almost as if he was fighting his near-death scenario, exclaiming that nothing could kill him. plenty of songs -- UAN, kaleidoscope, LID, FTG -- have their moments.

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27 minutes ago, boxelder said:

for mark, there's a strong case to be made that dude ranch was the most confident, strong songwriting he ever did. it's autobiographical, funny, and down-to-earth in ways he never recaptured, specifically on songs like waggy, apple shampoo, and lemmings. but while he faltered over the years -- in his worst state ever right now -- i think he shined the brightest with +44. it was honest in a new way, enveloped in compelling metaphors. creatively, his MUSIC was the best it'd ever be as well. progressive in an interesting way, effortlessly incorporating electronic instrumentation, sonically more interesting soundscapes, and unusual time signatures (without naming a song off it).

tom grew and grew, making his first leap forward with EOTS. that's not to say his previous work was bad, but it lacked comparing to what came later. and what came later was even better: the entirety of untitled is peak tom. great riffs, finally more creative with additional effects. his songwriting was 100% him, unafraid to branch out in new directions (stockholm, aesthenia), and catchy without being cloying. take for example the chorus of i miss you: "don't waste your time ON ME/you're ALREADY/the voice inside my head." likewise, there's a lot of strong moments on WDNTW as well, though they're increasingly burdened down with unnecessarily long intros, boring guitar lines, and clunky lyrics.

with travis, who's always been the most consistently creative and interesting member of the band, i'd say he was always firing on all cylinders. but his greatest work also came on untitled, where the material he delivered with unbridled in its inventiveness... weird, unconventional, sometimes experimental. think the pre-chorus on always, the structure of feeling this, the multiple tracks going on easy target, the dueling drum solo closing out the LP... just wall-to-wall great stuff. from a shallow perspective, he looked cool as fuck back then too haha. what's interesting though is that his work on neighborhoods is WILDLY underrated, and i'd actually put it up there just below untitled. it was almost as if he was fighting his near-death scenario, exclaiming that nothing could kill him. plenty of songs -- UAN, kaleidoscope, LID, FTG -- have their moments.

What about Matt tho?

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TOYPAJ for Travis's drumming

Dude Ranch and +44 for Mark's lyrics

BCR/Untitled for Tom 

Skiba: between Goddamnit and Good Mourning 

Feldy as a producer: when he worked on the Used's first two albums. 

 

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