Third Eye Blind - Blue
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Free Music Notes for Blue
Free Music Review: Happier and thoughtful...another awesome album (4.5/5)
Hit: 5 Stars
Third Eye Blind's sophomore effort "Blue" was one of my favorites when it was released in 1999, and it's still an album I listen to fairly regularly even today. Following the multiplatinum smash that was their 1997 debut Third Eye Blind, which had multiple hit singles and established a huge following, "Blue" finds the band in a less depressed mood and rocking a little harder. Something I always admired about 3EB was how they were able to balance commercial success with artistry. Each album had a handful of bona fide pop radio monsters, but they fit into the albums' progressions of emotions and ideas. Even while being a very mainstream and accessible band, they remained artistic and their sometimes wild and emotional lyrics were not molded by the Top 40. In relation to Third Eye Blind, which was often more somber and sad, "Blue" has more upbeat, electric guitar-heavy tunes. The songwriting is as equally brilliant, and the combination of great songwriting, production, sensibility, and pure musical talent again establishes 3EB as one of post-grunge rock's greatest bands in my mind. Stephan Jenkins spends more time shrieking in his signature falsetto, and Kevin Cadogan and Arion Salazar are given more room to shine. Overall, "Blue" is a absolutely fun, emotional, and artistic gem of late-90s rock.
I only have a few minor complaints about the album. I sometimes tend to skip over a few of the late tracks on the disc, the slower and less memorable ones, but a closer listen actually finds these songs quite compelling. As other reviewers have noted, shoppers should beware of an indistinguishable "edited" version, which cuts the lyrically disturbing "Slow Motion" from the tracklist and includes an instrumental version as the last song. Both versions look identical, so if shopping for this in a store, consumers should closely review the tracklists.
The album begins with the short "Anything," a fast, hard-rocking, dramatic ballad and a great start to the album. "Wounded" continues lyrically in the same vein, a sad song of lost love, but musically is much slower and sad. One of my favorites follows, the ingenious "Ten Days Late," an immediately catchy guitar jam which gives way to a bridge with a full choir break. The first single "Never Let You Go" is an absolute classic, a completely perfect pop song. From the inescapable guitar riffs to the clever lyrics, bridge, and "rap" that finish the song, this song should be remembered as one of the greatest of the late 90s. "Deep Inside of You" was the second single. I find this song similar to "How's It Going to Be" from their debut. It's an effective slow jam, with a more acoustic feel. Jenkins' performance is gripping, and the final push at the end is memorable. The pounding "1000 Julys" precedes one of the very best songs here, "An Ode to Maybe." The confused verses are nearly a backdrop to the awesome arrangement, instantly catchy. "The Red Summer Sun" is a very unique and likable cut, and the fast rock 'n roll of "Camoflage" sets it apart. "Farther" is a song that's grown on me over the years, the simple production is nice. The aforementioned "Slow Motion" is one of their most radical works, a must-hear. The midtempo "Darkness" closes the album along with maybe my favorite song, "Darwin." The electronic instrumentals make a fun sound, and the crazy verses give into an awesome hook. I love the acoustic riff at the beginning and end too.
While it didn't create quite as many waves as its predecessor, I think "Blue" is just about every bit as enjoyable as their groundbreaking debut was. What's sad is that it seems like, from a commercial standpoint, "Blue" was the peak for 3EB. Hopefully, a new album will surface as rumored and more great music will come our way. Until then, definitely pick up "Blue" if you haven't already.
Free Music Review: On second thought...
Hit: 5 Stars
"I'd give them anything... if they could actually make a record that would stand the test of time. Well, okay, I probably still wouldn't."
The above is a snippet from my previous take on Third Eye Blind's "Blue," circa 2002. Some time later, I'm printing a big retraction -- this review.
Proving that hindsight is 20/20, "Blue" is filled to the brim with beautiful, oozing pop-rock melody. There's probably as much potential energy in this record as a stone sitting on a cliff on the moon. When it spirals out of control like a rocketship with a bum rocket, such as on the pounding crescendo that is "Wounded," the results are stunning.
"Semi-Charmed Life" isn't present on "Blue," but the songs that are here showcase a versatility that few bands can manage. Several years after I'd forgotten about it, I pulled this record out and found that it had become exactly what I look for in my music.
At times, Stephan Jenkins' voice is akin to what would happen if a few almost-postal Zippo employees visited medieval China -- fireworks everywhere. As anyone who ever heard "Semi-Charmed Life" can attest, he has the vocal range to pull off a throaty purr one moment and a stratospheric falsetto that easily one-ups the emotional intensity of Chris Martin (of Coldplay fame) the next. Jenkins uses his voice like a hip-hop star, as a rhythmically-complex instrument of mass destruction, and out of the context of the musically-barren realm of rap, it works perfectly. Although his penchant for formulating sexual metaphor as the basis for his lyrics can grow tiresome to the discerning ear, it's at least subtle and tactfully-executed, in stark contrast to idiots like Chad Kroeger from Nickelback. ("I like your pants around your feet," anyone?)
To my ear, the first half of "Blue" is the side of Third Eye Blind the public wanted to hear -- the radio-ready pop-rock band that gets shamefully mentioned in the same sentence as Sugar Ray and Smash Mouth. The truth is, even those songs that earned them their fame were special in a very unique way: they display consistent songwriting talent surpassing pretty much any pop band of the moment that you can name.
"Anything" sports the most obvious metaphor of the record in "I'd turn my balls to sand just to see you," but its entire game is immediacy. The absolute last thing you expect upon the first few simple fingerpicked bars of "Anything" is for it to explode into a power chord onslaught, but lo and behold, that's exactly what happens. The lead guitar line is simple but utterly effective, and before you completely realize what's hit you, the song has reached the end of its short 2:00 duration.
"1000 Julys" rocks the hardest of any of the tracks on "Blue," carrying the listener through a giant sexual innuendo by way of tidal waves of burning jet fuel guitar that end with a rollicking bridge/outro that is sure to induce headbanging of dangerous intensity.
The second half of the record finds the band experimenting more with aural overlay and harmony; I find it to be their better half.
"The Red Summer Sun" sails through an overture song format wrought with a mixture of high-flying, distorted guitar and electronic effects that infuse it with a weird magnetism, and "Camouflage" is a spacey, reverberating bit of near-shoegaze that drips with the emotion its extremely high fidelity production provided for.
The sonic soup is seasoned by finely-composed typhoons of guitar chaos adding to the overall sound in the background. This is flavored like my vision of perfect music -- catchy melody surrounded by high fidelity guitar chaos. Pop-shoegaze for the new millenium.
Against the opinion of my former self, I give this near-perfect record my highest recommendation. It surely beats almost anything being released these days.
Free Music Review: Sophomore Sensation
Hit: 5 Stars
Following the release of Third Eye Blind's 3rd album, Out of the Vein, I overplayed it to the point of getting a little sick of it, and then took a step back, and began playing Blue again. After song by song examination, I released it was deffinately my favorite 3eb album, an possibly my favorite album of all time. A lot of parallels can be drawn between this and their other two albums, the overall difference being Blue's deep, dark feel. Here is a song by song breakdown.01) Anything - Starts out acoustic, then explodes. A nice way to open the album, although the song is rather short. It gets 8/10.
02) Wounded - The best song on the album? Quite possibly. In fact, most definately. A powerful, rocking ballad, that seems to be about a girl who got raped. "Back down the bully to the back of the bus, cos it's time for him to be scared of us!" says Jenkins. A definate 10/10
03) 10 Days Late - The song is lacking something, although I can't quite put my fingers on it. I love the bridge though. A boys choir is brought in. Overall, one of the weaker songs, but still a fun one. 7/10
04) Never Let You Go - Say what you want about this song. Call it a rip off of "Jesse's Girl" by Rick Springfield. Call it poppy.. but if it wasn't for this song, the album wouldn't have sold have as many copies as it did. I personally think this is a very underrated song, a fun one, that has this way of lifting you. I give it a 9/10.
05) Deep Inside Of You - The other song that drove the album's sales. This one has a bit more of a rock edge, with another classic bridge "I breathe by your looks, and you looks straight through me". 8/10
06) 1000 Julys - A sex crazed rocker, with another killer bridge. Heavy guitars, good bass, and moving lyrics make this song one of the albums heaviest hitters. 9/10
07) An Ode To Maybe - An Ode To Maybe is certainly poppy, and is also rather short (just over 2 minutes). I still enjoy it, but not quite as much as the others. 6/10
08) The Red Summer Sun - This song is a grower, believe it. When I first heard it, I was hesitant to say I like it. Jenkins yells the chorus, which is not exactly his cup of tea, but the instrumentals of the song are amazing to say the least. I'll give it a solid 8/10.
09) Camouflage - GREAT song. Reverb, echoes, and a driving bass. Plus some haunting lines such as "In the geometry of, prism of my eye will flow, I ask the question and wonder why, only to roll into a big orange ball, that floats in the summer sky". 10/10.
10) Farther - I'm still not completely sure whether I like the production of this song or not, but the bass is awesome. It has one of my favorite lines on the album: "Though I'm not the type who begs, I'm thinking how you'd open up your legs". I'll give it a 7/10.
11) Slow Motion - Controversial lyrics made this one have to be an instrumental on the album. The lyrical version is one of my favorite songs, a slow moving piece that has to do with violence, urban decay, etc. 10/10, right up there with Wounded and Camouflage.
12) Darkness - A rather slow ballad, with an AMAZING breakdown "Bring me the sun, cause I slide off the moon... yeeeeaaaahhhhh" Powerful lyrics, though the music isn't perfect. 9/10
13) Darwin - I love this song, and I really can't figure out why. It could be the emotion parts of the song are sung with. That said, it's not the most musical friendly song on the album. I'll give it an 8/10
14) Hidden Track (End of Red Summer Sun) - Beautiful. Purely beautiful. A haunting melody, with an amazing guitar solo at the end. Adds tons of value to The Red Summer Sun. 10/10.
In my opinion, Blue is one of the most underrated rock albums around. It deserves much more recognition than it's recieved. Do the band a favor, and purchase Blue. If you enjoyed either or both other albums, you're almost guaranteed to love Blue. Mark my words.
Free Music Review: You certainly won't feel blue after buying this!
Hit: 5 Stars
3EB's second album just goes to show that they have more talent than some were led to think. You know, the people who heard 3EB's major hit "Semi-Charmed Life"(which I still think is a great song)and immediately wrote them off as another worthless all-guy rock band. Well, they came back to prove everyone wrong! Here's a rundown of all the tracks on "Blue"1)Anything-At first I really hated this song. It was just a big short burst of incoherant noise that made my head hurt. But after a while I got used to it and realized that it's actually pretty good, just louder than the rest. 4/5
2)Wounded-This is the best song on the whole CD. It goes from echoey guitars and spacious percussion then swells into a rocking chorus that makes me want to play air drums. A very uplifting and different song. 5/5
3)10 Days Late-Sometimes I like this song and sometimes I don't. If you listen to this song too much then you'll get tired of it very quickly so listen to it about half as much as the others. I do like the choir singing in the middle of it, though. 4/5
4)Never Let You Go-This one was so overplayed on the radio that I can't listen to it anymore and it gets annoying when I do listen to it. 2/5
5)Deep Inside of You-This song should've gotten a lot more attention when it was released because it's sooo good. The music is beautiful, the lyrics are beautiful, everything is beautiful. 5/5
6)1000 Julys-Now this is a rock song! It just makes me want to jump up and down and act stupid. It's just a really fun song. It took me a small while to really listen to this so if you don't believe me now then you will later. 5/5
7)An Ode to Maybe-Again sometimes I like this song and other times I don't. One time it'll sound bouncy and fun and another time it'll be repetitive and annoying. I'll let you have your own opinion on this one 'cause I'm not sure what mine is.
8)The Red Summer Sun-This is the most experimental rock song I've ever heard. The beginning sonds like someone running a violin bow over guitar strings then it goes into a mid-tempo rock song. It then starts going twice as fast while the lead singer, Stephen Jenkins, sings in a high falsetto which made me laugh the first time I heard it. It then slows down again at the end. If "different" songs aren't your thing then skip this one. 5/5
9)Camouflage-Another experimental song. The verses are so echoey that it's hard to understand the words. The chorus is incredibly good. 5/5
10)Farther-This is one of the few rock songs that is really fun to dance to. I love the bouncy guitars;they just make me wanna move. 5/5
11)Slow Motion-Technically this isn't an insrumental because there's singing in it but it's still a really great song. It's kind of a lazy tune and is a nice contrast to the rest of the songs. 5/5
12)Darkness-There's nothing really good about this song and there's nothing bad about it either. 3.5/5
13)Darwin-This is a good, quirky song that has lyrics that make me laugh. 4.5/5
I just want to know who got the brilliant idea to say this CD has explicit lyrics. Yes, there's a few swear words but then again there are few CDs that don't have any. This a great CD that is worth your money and worth your time! Love~Butterfly
Free Music Review: You certainly won't feel blue after buying this!
Hit: 5 Stars
3EB's second album just goes to show that they have more talent than some were led to think. You know, the people who heard 3EB's major hit "Semi-Charmed Life"(which I still think is a great song)and immediately wrote them off as another worthless all-guy rock band. Well, they came back to prove everyone wrong! Here's a rundown of all the tracks on "Blue"1)Anything-At first I really hated this song. It was just a big short burst of incoherant noise that made my head hurt. But after a while I got used to it and realized that it's actually pretty good, just louder than the rest. 4/5
2)Wounded-This is the best song on the whole CD. It goes from echoey guitars and spacious percussion then swells into a rocking chorus that makes me want to play air drums. A very uplifting and different song. 5/5
3)10 Days Late-Sometimes I like this song and sometimes I don't. If you listen to this song too much then you'll get tired of it very quickly so listen to it about half as much as the others. I do like the choir singing in the middle of it, though. 4/5
4)Never Let You Go-This one was so overplayed on the radio that I can't listen to it anymore and it gets annoying when I do listen to it. 2/5
5)Deep Inside of You-This song should've gotten a lot more attention when it was released because it's sooo good. The music is beautiful, the lyrics are beautiful, everything is beautiful. 5/5
6)1000 Julys-Now this is a rock song! It just makes me want to jump up and down and act stupid. It's just a really fun song. It took me a small while to really listen to this so if you don't believe me now then you will later. 5/5
7)An Ode to Maybe-Again sometimes I like this song and other times I don't. One time it'll sound bouncy and fun and another time it'll be repetitive and annoying. I'll let you have your own opinion on this one 'cause I'm not sure what mine is.
8)The Red Summer Sun-This is the most experimental rock song I've ever heard. The beginning sonds like someone running a violin bow over guitar strings then it goes into a mid-tempo rock song. It then starts going twice as fast while the lead singer, Stephen Jenkins, sings in a high falsetto which made me laugh the first time I heard it. It then slows down again at the end. If "different" songs aren't your thing then skip this one. 5/5
9)Camouflage-Another experimental song. The verses are so echoey that it's hard to understand the words. The chorus is incredibly good. 5/5
10)Farther-This is one of the few rock songs that is really fun to dance to. I love the bouncy guitars;they just make me wanna move. 5/5
11)Slow Motion-Technically this isn't an insrumental because there's singing in it but it's still a really great song. It's kind of a lazy tune and is a nice contrast to the rest of the songs. 5/5
12)Darkness-There's nothing really good about this song and there's nothing bad about it either. 3.5/5
13)Darwin-This is a good, quirky song that has lyrics that make me laugh. 4.5/5
I just want to know who got the brilliant idea to say this CD has explicit lyrics. Yes, there's a few swear words but then again there are few CDs that don't have any. This a great CD that is worth your money and worth your time! Love~Butterfly