Dude Ranch is one of my all time favourite albums. This may be due to the fact that it was a gateway album for me..or possibly it truly is great (I'm not sure if I have the ability to formulate an unbiased opinion). Blink 182 delivered 45 minutes of pop punk that was catchy as hell with lyrics that drilled themselves straight into your cerebral cortex. Whenever I put the album on, from the first note of Pathetic to the last note of I'm Sorry (I can do without the dog drinking urine 'skit' after I'm sorry) I'm transported to a happy place and can't help myself from nodding my head and singing along. Shit's rad. I celebrate(/ed) Blink's entire proper catalogue Cheshire Cat through their 2003 S/T (Buddha and They Came to Conquer.. yes, that live album no [man overboard was decent]). When I heard that they broke up after their 2003 album I thought it was a great choice. The self-titled showed some interesting progression (shit, they did a song with Robert Smith) and being that they were aging and their potty humor schtick had run it's course it gave them a chance to go out (somewhat) on top.
All was good for a handful of years..then (I can only assume) that pesky little fella nostalgia reared his ugly head (or maybe it was $$). " 'You used to make great music' 'You can do it again! Relive your past success!' ". Nostalgia can lead people to make terrible decisions, in Mark, Tom and Travis' case; Neighbourhoods. I tried to keep an open mind, the first single wasn't THAT terrible. My general litmus test for any album is 'can I listen to it in one sitting without wanting to skip songs'. Simply put, Neighbourhoods did not pass. It wasn't offensively bad, it was just meh. Those three lads should have realized that nature had ran it's course and reviving a corpse just leads to zombies. The Blink 182 on Neighbourhoods sounded as if they were ripping off a Blink 182 influenced band (you know, the ones that wear neon clothes and look/act like pedophiles); a shitty knockoff. (That being said, I'm keeping an open mind to the 'new' Blink 182 of Mark, Travis and Matt [maybe he'll be able to provide much needed energy and cut down on robotic wankery that was all to present on Neighbourhoods]). I'm positive I wasn't the only person out there that felt this way (I can't comprehend the seemingly positive reviews that this stinker recieved when it was released); let down due to expectations based on a similar product that was created (and disappeared) many moons ago.
The 2008 re-introduction, and continued production, of Old Dutch's Mexican Chili Chips was and still is bullshit! Of all the discontinued chip flavours Old Dutch could have chosen to bring back, they picked those chili powder tasting middlers. Yeah, everyone remembers crunching on them back in the day..then all of a sudden *gasp* they were gone. Half a dozen years later people were all, "Remember mexican chili chips. I remember eating them when I was younger, that must mean that they were really good". No, no they weren't REALLY good. They're barely an okay flavour that was the benefactor of nostalgia. I get it, bring back the 'retro' flavour and see a boost in sales. Well, it's been 7 years and these turds are still around, time to cut them loose and bring back something that is actually interesting, like anything in the Rave line; Buffalo Wing, Extra Salt and Vinegar. Even better, step your game up and tinker with other companies discontinued flavours..spicy ketchup, jalapeno dill. Caesar (the tasty drink) flavoured chips dammit!! Time to take Mexican Chili out to the desert and return solo Mr. Dutch (if that is your real name!).
Stay hydrated,
Marc
All was good for a handful of years..then (I can only assume) that pesky little fella nostalgia reared his ugly head (or maybe it was $$). " 'You used to make great music' 'You can do it again! Relive your past success!' ". Nostalgia can lead people to make terrible decisions, in Mark, Tom and Travis' case; Neighbourhoods. I tried to keep an open mind, the first single wasn't THAT terrible. My general litmus test for any album is 'can I listen to it in one sitting without wanting to skip songs'. Simply put, Neighbourhoods did not pass. It wasn't offensively bad, it was just meh. Those three lads should have realized that nature had ran it's course and reviving a corpse just leads to zombies. The Blink 182 on Neighbourhoods sounded as if they were ripping off a Blink 182 influenced band (you know, the ones that wear neon clothes and look/act like pedophiles); a shitty knockoff. (That being said, I'm keeping an open mind to the 'new' Blink 182 of Mark, Travis and Matt [maybe he'll be able to provide much needed energy and cut down on robotic wankery that was all to present on Neighbourhoods]). I'm positive I wasn't the only person out there that felt this way (I can't comprehend the seemingly positive reviews that this stinker recieved when it was released); let down due to expectations based on a similar product that was created (and disappeared) many moons ago.
The 2008 re-introduction, and continued production, of Old Dutch's Mexican Chili Chips was and still is bullshit! Of all the discontinued chip flavours Old Dutch could have chosen to bring back, they picked those chili powder tasting middlers. Yeah, everyone remembers crunching on them back in the day..then all of a sudden *gasp* they were gone. Half a dozen years later people were all, "Remember mexican chili chips. I remember eating them when I was younger, that must mean that they were really good". No, no they weren't REALLY good. They're barely an okay flavour that was the benefactor of nostalgia. I get it, bring back the 'retro' flavour and see a boost in sales. Well, it's been 7 years and these turds are still around, time to cut them loose and bring back something that is actually interesting, like anything in the Rave line; Buffalo Wing, Extra Salt and Vinegar. Even better, step your game up and tinker with other companies discontinued flavours..spicy ketchup, jalapeno dill. Caesar (the tasty drink) flavoured chips dammit!! Time to take Mexican Chili out to the desert and return solo Mr. Dutch (if that is your real name!).
Stay hydrated,
Marc
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