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NINE Official Discussion


Russel Coight

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3 minutes ago, Champ182 said:

I'll never be a fan of Blink co-writing with a million people but this album is an example of how much more palatable it is when the songs still end up matching the band, especially lyrically. One of the biggest complaints about California was the overwhelming feeling of the songs being steered toward teenagers, but writing about adult themes that can convincingly seem like they're from the band's current state of mind makes such a huge difference on this album.

Quit talking shit on Cali man you're going to get me riled up. None of us need that right now! Cali is money

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3 minutes ago, Champ182 said:

writing about adult themes that can convincingly seem like they're from the band's current state of mind makes such a huge difference on this album.

absolutely. even though all the musical stylings don't jibe with me, the lyrics are far more +44 or alk3 than california.

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more than anything, what i want and expect from blink-182 in 2019 should be an evolving of their sound: progressive, mature in tone, without losing sight of what made them great.

in this sense, NINE delivers — not in ways i’m completely in love with, but in areas certainly representing a big improvement on california. its instrumentation is creative, modern, and surprising. what’s not surprising is the neon radio-friendly sheen glossing up every tune, courtesy of john feldmann, tim pagnotta, and industry mixers like serban ghenea. the rainbow-bright color wash of the cover illustrates this point succinctly, but has little in common with what lies inside. NINE is an alarmingly dark record, with about a dozen references to alcohol and pill abuse throughout, as well as gun violence and religion. the throwback, blockbuster sound of california is SO three years ago; ultra-gloomy melodrama is IN (just take a listen to remember to forget me, or read its title).

there’s still a lack of guitar riffs so integral to the blink sound, though "the first time" finds skiba… for the first time, *cough*… delivering a catchy guitar lick that feels both his own and still very true to the band. its intro rather obviously calls back to "feeling this"’s flanger-affected intro, while the chorus recycles the rhyme scheme from 2017’s woeful "wildfire". despite that, it’s a winner for me: its buzzy and energetic feel sets the tone for the album, which takes a left turn rapidly with "heaven". "heaven" is heartbreaking in a new way for the band, with the chorus serving as a memoriam for those lost to mass shootings: "angel wings at the bus stop / halos left on top of the bar / heaven doesn’t want me now." where the song suffers is in the non-specificity of its verses (skiba, bleating about "loneliness since we broke up"). lead single "blame it on my youth" stands out because of how comically out-of-place on this album it feels, its upbeat sound representing a happy medium between electronic sonics and classic, caffeinated blink.

however, with the absence of tom, there’s a major lack of identity in everything the band’s had their name attached to since 2016. NINE utilizes several teams of songwriters to fill this void… worth a try as an experiment, one guesses. but as a fan, it feels depressingly related to mark’s deep writer’s block and self-doubt. subsequently, NINE fails deeply in its tedious, nondescript lyricism; there’s little depth to anything mark and skiba have to say. as @Ari pointed out in another thread, mark’s by all accounts a successful, decent family man with little business singing about "numbing the pain"" with a "posessed" girl. in "on some emo shit", mark imagines a broken-hearted brooklyn romance, but there’s little engaging or memorable to the listener. we learn nothing about the band. in interviews, mark seems guarded, and on social media, on the defense. on NINE, he and matt skiba cloak themselves in vague, empty stories and tiresome metaphors. so in context with the rest of the LP, the boring promo single "happy days" earns its moment: it's honest, and you feel bummed for mark’s plight, as he reassures himself aloud that it’s all fine. is it all fine?

maybe. there are some clunkers here too. "darkside" and "pin the grenade" are more standard retrograde feldmann-brand pop punk; switch it out with any ATL or boys like girls track ten years ago and i wouldn’t know the difference. "run away" is haphazardly stitched together with clumsy lyrics and another earworm chorus that’s completely at odds with the verses that bridge it. but "i really wish i hated you" represents the worst of the bunch: a melody that feels like it was the first thing songwriter andrew watt strummed out, stretched to three annoyingly repetitive minutes. "hungover you" is big, dumb power-chord nonsense, the kind that fills stadiums and radio airwaves. it bridges the gap for me… it’s got a big sexy hook, and a brooding, mechanical conclusion. i dig it.

overall, there’s a LOT of bright spots. "black rain" and "no heart to speak of" feel like skiba assuming ownership of his role in the band; musically, both are among the more interesting songs on the LP. "ransom" is one of the catchiest songs this iteration of the band has issued, with its auto-tuned hook and standard double-time punk formula. it decently provides a twist to its brief, undercooked kidnapping tale. travis has his moments with this set; much of his work on NINE refreshingly eschews live kits for hip-hop-infused programming. almost always, this works to his advantage: the outro of "no heart to speak of" is reminiscent of the best +44 had to offer. but in others the effect, in combination with the generic sound, can feel empty. in "darkside", there’s no need for travis… he might as well BE the computer. but those live moments always deliver.

in the end, NINE represents a positive step in a DIFFERENT direction for mark, matt, travis, and john (don’t forget about him!). it still doesn’t quite feel like blink to me — but at this point, that fact’s not worth bemoaning, and has more to do with me than them evidently. i’ll just do as @daveyjones did back in the day and relax. blink-182 is no longer the same band in any sense… they’re older, tom-less, and albums like neighborhoods are a million miles away. it’s almost better to treat this era as a separate side project, and with or without that in mind, it’s enjoyable.

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They pulled a massive prank on the fanbase i think.....doesnt matter if it was unintentionally

They got shit for the newer songs, the Darkside Video, The Lil Wayne Mashup

and then it turns out the record they were working on is really fucking good!!!

I absolutely love this stuff. This is a diverse and solid record!

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16 minutes ago, boxelder said:

more than anything, what i want and expect from blink-182 in 2019 should be an evolving of their sound: progressive, mature in tone, without losing sight of what made them great....

Good in-depth review! I'll probably write something more detailed up tomorrow after a few more listens.

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13 minutes ago, boxelder said:

[long review]

in the end, NINE represents a positive step in a DIFFERENT direction for mark, matt, travis, and john (don’t forget about him!). it still doesn’t quite feel like blink to me — but at this point, that fact’s not worth bemoaning, and has more to do with me than them evidently.

solid write up boxy. seriously, rolling stone, spin, hell even pitchfork, someone hire this guy!

light years ahead of what kerrang was shoveling...

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There are so many good songs on this album. I'm also baffled at which songs they chose to release for this album. There are a few tracks I don't immediately love but I think they'll be growers for me. I'm also super surprised how much I love Black Rain but Matt has completely won me over, that voice!

3 hours ago, jlx9 said:

I’m surprised how well the electronic incorporations actually serve the songs.

Agreed! I'm still apprehensive of the electronic aspects but sometimes it really integrates well and just works! 

I wish they announce a tour with this album as the setlist now. Some of these songs live would be incredible.

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Listened to the whole thing once so far. Not totally sure how I feel about it yet. It feels like it might be a grower. I loved the first track, and I loved parts of other tracks but I'm not familiar enough with it to really point out specific examples yet.

I have to say, a big complaint about California that I had personally was that I thought it felt like they were trying to sound like all the other pop punk bands who were trying to sound like blink-182. This album doesn't feel like they're trying to force a "blink-182" sound anymore, which is cool. Though I still don't know how much I actually like it. haha.

I can see this album growing on me. In a few days I'll probably love it tbh.

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On my second listen, No Heart To Speak Of is blowing me away. My first listen to the album was while I was driving in my car, and I may not have payed as much attention to the album as I thought I was. This song didn't phase me on my first listen but damn I LOVE this.

Also Ransom, that was one that on my first listen I was like "wtf" at first but then the fast skate punk drums kicked in and I fell in love. I wish it wasn't so short though. The two most "punk" songs on the album are so short.

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30 minutes ago, Champ182 said:

I'll never be a fan of Blink co-writing with a million people but this album is an example of how much more palatable it is when the songs still end up matching the band, especially lyrically. One of the biggest complaints about California was the overwhelming feeling of the songs being steered toward teenagers, but writing about adult themes that can convincingly seem like they're from the band's current state of mind makes such a huge difference on this album.

They can be both "poppy" enough for new listeners to catch on while still giving off a vibe that they should be taken somewhat seriously. That was totally lacking on California.

THIS

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