Review Summary: I felt you long after we were through....
While an intricate facet in life, it can be said that time is not entirely understood. As it runs its course, we mature and most significantly change. Obviously things do not turn out as we expected, but one can only look back and laugh at the foolish blunders, or decide that time was well spent. If any given person was asked if they were the same person ten or even fifteen years earlier, most would quickly respond no, while other’s heads would explode pondering the question. With all of this said, change is inevitably going to arrive on our doorstep whether we realize it or not. That’s where Third Eye Blind’s debut record defies gravity. Few, if any albums have replicated the sentiment that the self-titled release gives off, hundreds of listens following that momentous initial infatuation. “Third Eye Blind” is really the only record that has truly developed with me; and most prominently is just as amazing at the day I opened the CD case. In many ways it is the soundtrack to my childhood, recalling those long since forgotten days which I didn’t seem to have a care in the world. Listening to the album eleven years later, it wouldn’t be implausible to believe that I am the same person I was eleven years ago. Third Eye Blind’s debut offers evidence of this in epic proportions, from the frequent upbeat moments of youth to the occasional anguish.
Thanks a Lot reminisces of a time when I stumbled across my first true heartbreaking experience; when I girl I liked was into someone else, and all I could do was press the repeat button on the track for consolation. This has been my “go-to” album ever since, taking the hauntingly relating words of
God of Wine and
Motorcycle Drive-By in situations of uttermost despair.
Stephan Jenkins could easily be one of the most misunderstood front men in rock history. Although blessed with a tremendous singing voice as most lead singers are, Jenkins has been able to separate himself from his peers through emotion and poignant lyricism. Beneath all the “dut dut doos,” and “yeah, yeah, yeahs,” Jenkins demonstrates a profound sense of sincerity in tracks such as
Motorcycle Drive-By and
The Background. The former is crafted so meticulously that is constantly contradicts itself, containing the torment of a relationship that will never happen. “That’s when I knew that I could never have you. I knew that before you did, still I’m the one who is stupid.” Just when you believe the despair of the situation is too much to handle, he responds with “I’ve never be so alone, and I’ve never been so alive.”
Motorcyle Drive-By is a lyrical masterpiece because it contains that paradoxical battle between the unwillingness to let go and the inevitable truth behind the matter. “Third Eye Blind” is chuck full of these moments;
How’s It Going to Be boldly asks the unanswerable question of “How’s it going to be, when you don’t know me anymore?” while
Losing a Whole Year comes to the realization that everything that was has evidently been a waste. Jenkins has been notorious for one-liners ever since the release of this album, with the effectiveness of these lines, being nothing short of exemplary.
Jenkins has certainly never received the acclaim he deserves, nor will he ever make any “most influential” lists. What is evident with Jenkins and Third Eye Blind is that they have never attempted to become anything more than a conventional pop/rock band, nor have they basked in the aura of their immense commercial success. Tracks such as the infectious
Semi-Charmed Life and the sincere
Jumper left the band with more recognition than any band receives in their entire career, but this did not deter the group from developing top-shelf non singles. Even with the lyrics laid aside, the Cadogan, Hargreaves, and Salazar musical combination works wonders to complement Jenkins’ emotion, for the are equally as energetic and passionate. Although not in the least bit groundbreaking, the music offers a delicate blend of liveliness and infectious hooks, that do not seem to dull at any point in the record.
Third Eye Blind’s debut is simply one of the greatest alternative rock albums in recent memory, with virtually no filler. Its perpetual capability to remain relevant is something to be admired, which is not something that mainstream pop/rock records seem to maintain. Most significantly, the album is easily relatable at all levels, whether it is the distress of losing a loved one, the torment of a failed relationship, or even the triumph over these struggles. “Third Eye Blind” truly seems to have everything, from the antagonistic
Graduate to the engaging
I Want You, and is in many ways timeless. And f***ing perfect.
Recommended Tracks:
Losing a Whole Year
Semi-Charmed Life
How’s It Going to Be
Thanks a Lot
The Background
Motorcycle Drive-By
God of Wine
