By all reports, this was a very difficult album to make. blink-182 had, in effect, split up from 2005 onwards, citing creative differences. The band was arguing heavily before that. Travis Barker’s near-death in a plane crash in 2008 reignited talks between the three band members, and they got together to record this album, which was delayed multiple times for its release. Sadly, the three main members of blink-182 were still not working productively as a unit, nor could they replicate the quality of tunes and critical appraisal of their earlier works. Still, blink-182 were back and had some new tunes, even if the group would eventually split again in 2015. This release is an expanded version of the original album. Self-produced by blink-182 and released on Interscope Records on 27 September 2011, it was recorded in various locations in California, and runs for nearly 50 minutes. blink-182 at the time were: Mark Hoppus (bass guitar and vocals); Tom DeLonge (guitars and vocals), and Travis Barker (drums and percussion). Let’s take a listen to this album, and we shall hear if it is any good.

1. Ghost On The Dance Floor begins with some great drumming and spacey electronic sounds. This sounds nothing like the blink-182 of before. It is a Synth Pop styled ballad that, quite frankly, sounds odd. This eventually continues on into a groovy jam, and this is not the best song that blink-182 has ever made. It is a sad and rather ordinary listen that indeed could have been bettered. All in all, this music could have been better, straight up. It seems that blink-182 were in a tough spot, and the music reflects that. The guitar work is very catchy, mind you. This just sounds too weird by the group and quite Emo in its orientation. Not the best-sounding piece of music, that is quite clear. Even the vocals sound off and are lacking. Sadly, the best days of blink-182 were quite clearly behind them at this stage. A clear disappointment, although Travis Barker’s drumming is top-notch and superb. The rest of the tune isn’t. Loud and energetic as it is, however. This sounds like a parody of blink-182, to be fair. It’s barely okay, and not at all great to listen to. Poor.

2. Natives launches into a grinding sounding tune, which again isn’t very special to hear. It sounds like a poor rendition of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck. The lyrics and music sound really off. These guys quite clearly weren’t having a good time in this set of circumstances, and the whole album so far sounds really off. Only really hardcore blink-182 fans can enjoy this tune, whereas the average listener will be quite put off upon listening. The mood is definitely off, and these songs aren’t that well mixed, either. All in all, this tune isn’t that great. It is a bit better than the song before it, but this is a bit of a failure musically. One cannot help but feel that this was a forced reunion. The music, lyrics, mixing and attitude are all very much off-sounding. The chorus isn’t memorable or fantastic, either. A depressing and wearisome listening experience. You can start to skip ahead at this point, if you would like. This isn’t worth it.

3. Up All Night is another poor creation, with keyboards, drums and other studio-based intricacies. This quickly launches into a fast but off-sounding tune that does not work very well. Singing emerges, which is good between Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge, but regardless, this still sounds like a musical misstep. The best days of blink-182 were gone by this stage, and it sounds like a bad attempt to mix their three best albums together. All in all, this music is a bit of a drag. It sounds just like an album you would listen to once and then never listen to again. There definitely have been worse albums than this, but this is not a good album throughout. A song about demons keeping one up all night, this is just bad to listen to. Sorry guys, this is poor. There is a false ending, followed by some awful guitar riffing and drumming to conclude. Not good.

4. After Midnight begins with some cool and intricate drumming, with some decent guitars finally entering in. This is good and is one of the better songs from this album. The singing is also sweet and pure throughout. A better song about relationships and similar teen things. The dual vocalists make a great impression here, but the real star of this tune is Travis Barker’s drumming, which sounds absolutely awesome. A very solidly good tune to listen to and to hear, this is a good example of the highlights of this album. Still, this sounds disjointed and awkward musically. It seemed blink-182 were unable to replicate the heights of yesteryear at this point. A very punchy sound, but unfortunately, little substance to make up for this song. It is okay, but nothing hugely memorable throughout. It’s a lacking song.

5. Snake Charmer launches right into it, sounding like a bad movie soundtrack. This sounds weird, awkward and messy as a tune. In any case, this album is very much nothing special by this point. It sounds like the work of a mediocre blink-182 cover band. This sounds extremely weak and weird, which is a song about sexual gratitude. All in all, this is not a good listen. These songs likely did not have a good impact on most blink-182 fans, and this song is no different. The music sounds disjointed and disappointing throughout. A bad listen which seriously needed a rethink or to be junked. This sounds really off-putting, and doesn’t do any justice for those of you who actually are listening to it. Enough to take a copy of the album and throw it into the bin. This just sounds really poor and appalling for the once mighty blink-182. The outro sounds like Linkin Park, with some multitracked drumbeats and electronic textures. Weird. It fades out.

6. Heart’s All Gone Interlude is a bizarre electronic and piano interlude that sounds depressing. This is not a good sign for blink-182. It sounds really out of place and awkward, with some extra guitars mixed in as well. This is the sound of blink-182 buying some time on this album, just for the sake of it all. All in all, this music is fairly forgettable here, although the interlude is a bit different to listen to. This isn’t catchy or memorable, however. Just another side step for the group. It segues into the next track.

7. Heart’s All Gone begins with some guitar swells and launches into a drum-heavy piece of music that isn’t good. This continues the off-sounding vibe, which is seemingly an angry rant from within the band at each other. This is an okay song, but this music makes sense in retrospect on this album as we realise that blink-182 weren’t in the right state of mind whilst making this song, and it isn’t an exceptional track. It is okay, but far from decent and phenomenal throughout. A mixed-up tune which doesn’t sound like the glory days of past blink-182 efforts. This is mediocre and depressing instead. A sad representation of what the group were trying to be, this isn’t exactly good to hear. A very poor attempt at music. It ends with sustained guitars.

8. Wishing Well begins with some weird guitars, keyboards and intricate drumming, launching into a groovy and melodic song that again, sounds like a drag. This is not brilliant, once again. This music sounds like a miscalculated effort throughout. This music really needed a rethink at this stage, and although the three main members are together on this album, this sounds like an awkward fusion of effort. Fortunately, this song is semi-okay for what it is. Sadly, these guys needed a long hiatus at this stage to grow and become one again. The harmonies throughout are quite good, mind you. This song is okay, and it is better than the others on this album. Nice and melodic to hear, in its own way. Fairly catchy.

9. Kaleidoscope begins with some better and more interesting guitar riffs, along with some elastic but tight-sounding drumming. This tune, unbelievably, is actually quite good. Too bad it is a tune about the band’s own difficulties in recording this album. All in all, this is a vast improvement over what has come before on this album. Even so, this tune isn’t the best thing blink-182 have ever done in their long history as a band. A powerful, epic and different listening experience for blink-182, this is a lot better than the songs before it. This is a definite hidden gem on this album. Even the sludgy guitars sound half-decent on this one. In any case, if one has to sit through this album, this song is actually okay and dynamic enough to be an impressive listen on its own. The music is quite interesting, and the pseudo-electronic outro with drums and percussion sounds quite good, too. A worthy listen. It fades out nicely.

10. This Is Home is another rather horrid song with New Wave-style keyboards and loads of overdubs. This is a straightforward song with plenty of expletives and punchy energy. This is not an overly great listen, and doesn’t sound at all like blink-182. One would have hoped for a better listening experience than this borderline trash. This music is a mockery of what blink-182 used to be loved for. Unfortunately, this is a sad listen today as it has no true consistency or longevity to this music. All in all, you can start skipping ahead at this rather annoying listen. It is very repetitive.

11. MH 4.18.2011 begins with fast guitars and punky drumming, launching into another rather decent song. This has a more retrospective blink-182 feel. This is a more catchy, upbeat and furious sounding Punk styled song that has some interesting sounds and music to it all. This tune is okay, but then again, it is not the most revolutionary or wonderful listen. Still, its speed and interesting sounds make for a better listen than most of the songs on this extended album. All in all, this is a slight improvement on the rest of the album, but nothing significantly impressive. The guitars and drums do sound really great, all the same, even if the song is fairly average otherwise. Good to hear some slight improvement, all the same. The end sounds warped.

12. Love Is Dangerous begins with more keyboards, and it sounds so unlike blink-182. It launches into a mediocre song that, really, shouldn’t be here. It sounds very awful, and there is no need for you to listen to this toxic garbage. This is simply not good enough as a piece of music. If you really want a good listen by blink-182, go back to their earlier turn-of-the-century albums and listen to those instead, particularly Enema Of The State (1999). This is a big disappointment musically, and it sounds absolutely horrible. If you can hit stop, now might be a good point to do so. All in all, this music is atrocious. Travis Barker does some decent drumming to put it into a slightly better listen, but this is a waste of time to listen to. Enough to get one to shake their head at this rather pathetic music statement. A real lacking and poor attempt at a ballad. Don’t listen to this song, save your ears for something better. Bad.

13. Fighting The Gravity begins with some weird electronics, and launches into a U2 wannabe soundscape sort of piece. It is difficult to know what blink-182 were attempting to achieve by this point in this album. This is a mixed-up soundscape-style tune that has no resemblance to blink-182 whatsoever that we have heard before. This is blink-182 attempting to make a (mostly) instrumental pastiche, and failing in the process. The sounds are different, but there is little purpose in continuing to listen to this particular song. In any case, this tune is better than the last, but experimentalism and blink-182 do not really mix well. This album deserves to be trashed in the history of music. This is a poor attempt at the earlier, more glorious listening experiences out there. It has some great drumming, whilst blink-182 shamelessly admits “this makes no sense”. Which it really doesn’t. Another subpar addition to this album.

14. Even If She Falls emerges with a better song structure and sounds a lot better. This is the final track on this rather difficult album to sit through. This tune is quite a bit better than the few before it, but it sounds like a half-baked afterthought in blink-182’s canon. This album is nothing to be proud of by these guys, it is a shot in the foot for the once great blink-182. This song is okay, but it still lacks energy, purpose and consistency. The music and sounds are, at best, less than impressive on songs such as these. This tune wraps up with shrill singing and a road to nowhere for blink-182. You’ll be relieved when it is over.

This album is far from great. It is the sound of blink-182 furiously trying to remember what made them a great band in the first place. This is not a good, let alone great, album listening experience. It is very mediocre and is seriously not recommendable for any music listeners, let alone blink-182 fans. Their heyday had come and gone by this point, and this lacks quality control. Don’t bother with this album.

Poor.

4/10