Tag: Blink 182

Wednesday 6pm ET: Feature Artist – Blink-182

Blink-182 is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Since 2015, the lineup of the band has consisted of bass guitarist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, drummer Travis Barker, and guitarist and vocalist Matt Skiba. Founded by Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Scott Raynor, the band emerged from the Southern California punk scene of the early 1990s and first gained notoriety for high-energy live shows and irreverent lyrical toilet humor.

In its early years, Blink-182 toured heavily behind the band’s debut, Cheshire Cat (1995). The group signed with major label MCA Records to co-distribute its second album, Dude Ranch (1997). Raynor was fired midway through a 1998 tour and replaced by Barker. The group’s next two releases, Enema of the State (1999) and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001), were enormous successes on the strength of radio and MTV airplay. An Untitled fifth record followed in 2003 and marked a stylistic shift for the group. DeLonge quit in 2005, sending the band into what was termed an “indefinite hiatus”. They reunited in 2009, producing the trio’s sixth album, Neighborhoods (2011). In 2015, DeLonge again exited and was replaced by Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba, with their resulting seventh studio album, California, being released on July 1, 2016. Their most recent effort titled Nine, was released on September 20, 2019.

Blink-182 is considered a key group in the development of pop punk; the band’s combination of pop music melodies with fast-paced punk rock featured a more radio-friendly accessibility than prior bands. The trio has sold over thirteen million albums in the United States, and over 50 million albums worldwide. In 2011, The New York Times asserted, “no punk band of the 1990s has been more influential than Blink-182”, and even as the band receded after its 2005 split, “its sound and style could be heard in the muscular pop punk of Fall Out Boy or in the current wave of high-gloss Warped Tour punk bands, like All Time Low and The Maine.”

Wednesday 12am ET: Feature LP: Blink-182 – Nine (2019)

Nine is the eighth studio album by American rock band Blink-182, released on September 20, 2019 through Columbia Records. Blink-182—composed of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba, and drummer Travis Barker—began developing the album after fulfilling touring obligations for their previous release, California (2016). While Nine builds upon the band’s collaboration with producer John Feldmann—who also produced California—it also explores outside producers and songwriters. During the recording process, the band worked with several teams, including Captain Cuts, the Futuristics, and producer Tim Pagnotta.

Much of the album’s lyricism is dark in nature and was informed by world events, as well as Hoppus’s battle with depression. The color wash album cover was painted by renowned graffiti artist RISK, while the album’s title stems from its numerical sequence in the band’s catalog. Musically, the album augments the band’s pop punk sound with hip hop-inspired programming, as well as electronics. For Nine, the trio moved from independent service BMG to major label Columbia.

Nine received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, many of whom complimented its upgrade to the band’s signature sound, as well as its moodier lyrical content.

1. “The First Time” 2:26
2. “Happy Days” 2:59
3. “Heaven” 3:17
4. “Darkside” 3:00
5. “Blame It on My Youth”
6. “Generational Divide” 0:49
7. “Run Away” 2:27
8. “Black Rain” 2:46
9. “I Really Wish I Hated You” 3:11
10. “Pin the Grenade” 2:59
11. “No Heart to Speak Of” 3:40
12. “Ransom” 1:25
13. “On Some Emo Shit” 3:09
14. “Hungover You” 2:58
15. “Remember to Forget Me” 3:29

Wednesday 12am: Feature LP: Blink 182 – Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)

Take Off Your Pants and Jacket is the fourth studio album by American rock band blink-182, released on June 12, 2001 by MCA Records. The band had spent much of the previous year traveling and supporting their previous album Enema of the State (1999), which launched their mainstream career. The album’s title is a tongue-in-cheek pun on male masturbation (“take off your pants and jack it”), and its cover art has icons for each member of the trio: an airplane (“take off”), a pair of pants, and a jacket. It is the band’s final release through MCA.

The album was recorded over three months at Signature Sound in San Diego with producer Jerry Finn. During the sessions, MCA executives pressured the band to retain the sound that helped their previous album sell millions. As such, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket continues the pop punk tone that blink-182 had honed and made famous, albeit with a heavier post-hardcore sound inspired by bands such as Fugazi and Refused. Regarding its lyrical content, it has been referred to as a concept album chronicling adolescence, with songs dedicated to first dates, fighting authority, and teenage parties. Due to differing opinions on direction, the trio worked in opposition to one another for the first time, and the sessions sometimes became contentious.

The album had near-immediate success, becoming the first punk rock record to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200 and achieving double platinum certification in May 2002. It produced three hit singles — “The Rock Show”, “First Date”, and “Stay Together for the Kids” — that were top-ten hits on modern rock charts. Critical impressions of the album were generally positive, commending its expansion on teenage themes, although others viewed this as its weakness. To support the album, the band co-headlined the Pop Disaster Tour with Green Day. Take Off Your Pants and Jacket has sold over 14 million copies worldwide.

1. “Anthem Part Two” 3:48
2. “Online Songs” 2:25
3. “First Date” 2:51
4. “Happy Holidays, You Bastard” 0:42
5. “Story of a Lonely Guy” 3:39
6. “The Rock Show” 2:51
7. “Stay Together for the Kids” 3:59
8. “Roller Coaster” 2:47
9. “Reckless Abandon” 3:06
10. “Everytime I Look for You” 3:05
11. “Give Me One Good Reason” 3:18
12. “Shut Up” 3:20
13. “Please Take Me Home” 3:05
14. “Time to Break Up” 3:04
15. “Mother’s Day” 1:37