Two years after their chart-topping debut, Los Angeles's Third Eye Blind has returned to the airwaves and record stores with its sophomore effort, Blue. An overall solid album, Blue shows more classic rock influences and allows each band member to showcase his personal talent and style.
The new disc opens with "Anything," a fast-paced tale of longing and confusion. Not your typical verse-chorus-verse rock song, "Anything" adheres to an unorthodox format. "Turn my bones to sand/ Just to see you/ I'll give you anything," screams lead singer Stephan Jenkins. His high-pitched voice adds a tinge of sadness to his already colorful lyrics. Clocking in at less than two minutes, "Anything" has not been a huge success on rock radio.
"Never Let You Go," the album's current radio single, is a tad repetitive and not even entirely original, but its catchiness, spurred by Kevin Cadogan's almost human-sounding guitar leads and Jenkins' falsetto singing is also very effective. The lyrics tell of a failed relationship, something just about everyone has experienced. If Boston ever emerges from this deep freeze, it's safe to say that we'll be seeing plenty of people driving around with their windows down, blasting and singing along with "Never Let You Go."
There are two distinct sounds to Blue. Starting off the album is a collection of hard rock-influenced singles - songs that make you want to leap out of your seat as soon as you hear the familiar opening chords on the radio. Perhaps the best example of Third Eye Blind's more abrasive edge is "1000 Julys," a song about Jenkins' favorite subject: sex. Though the lyrics might not be the most profoundly metaphorical ("I'm sex crazed/ I put it in with my animal ways"), the thick, syncopated guitar riffs and vocal melody make the song a classic. "The Red Summer Sun" and "An Ode To Maybe" exude similar qualities. Interspersed throughout the album are several softer tunes, such as "Darkness" and "Deep Inside Of You." They are well-crafted songs, but become virtually indistinguishable. Following a syrupy pace, their similar instrumental styles and whiny vocals make them more annoying than meaningful.
"Darwin," Third Eye Blind's take on the evolutionary process, merits attention. An instantly memorable bassline, juxtaposed against soft acoustic guitars, begins the number. Jenkins' clever lyrics remain true to Darwinism, while allowing him to express his own lyrical and vocal style. While much of the group's first album is devoted to optimistic angst, a more mature sound characterizes this second effort. "Darwin" is the ideal example of the group's refined style: less shouting and distortion, with more emphasis on lyrics and Kevin Cadogan's guitar style.
Traditionally, lead singers receive the most attention from the media, but Third Eye Blind's instrumentalists bring tremendous contributions to Blue. Cadogan's vintage-sounding guitars add a tinge of classic rock. His brilliant use of harmonics and delicate arpeggios on "Wounded" and "Darknness" testify to his skills as a musician. Most importantly, he displays his own pop-rock style, one that sounds a hundred times more musically proficient than today's Korn-esque noisemakers. Bassist Arion Salazar and drummer Brad Hargreaves round out the rhythm section. Salazar sticks to simple, yet perfectly effective basslines. When the guitars and vocals drop out for brief interludes, these basslines stand out, adding an air of welcome anticipation - a Third Eye Blind trademark. Hargreaves's drumming is noticeably heavier than his playing on the group's self-titled debut, but it more than adequately matches the slightly harder edge of much of the new set. Not to be left unmentioned, Jenkins himself plays rhythm guitar and keyboards on about half of the album's tracks, including the instrumental "Slow Motion."
Blue is not exactly groundbreaking music. It is a solid, well-crafted pop album made by a group that has proven its musical abilities. Current fans will definitely want to pick up a copy, but if you're a newer one, you may want to hold off - or just make use of that CD-R drive you picked up over the break.
