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Guitarist/Singer Tom DeLonge says "this is the hardest, fastest record we've ever done." While some tracks, such as the opening Anthem Part Two display this rather clearly, it's actually some of the slower tracks that really stand out. "Story Of A Lonely Guy" is strong not only musically, but I found myself connecting with the lyrics that DeLonge is singing between intros and pre-choruses full of slow, chorus filled guitar. Of course, "The Rock Show" follows, with more of the punk-typical solid beats and echoing picked bass lines. Following that is a track titled "Stay Together For the Kids", which is a surprising mature song for a band who fills their live CD with the very comments that make their live shows so enjoyable for today's teens. Mark's vocals in the verses of the song remind me eerily of a deeper voiced Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), and the light guitar and drum line in the background fits well enough to make this one of the best songs on the CD. And of course, those wonderfully immature songs your looking for are here as well. "Happy Holidays You Bastard" is quite possible one of the most immature (yet addictive) songs I have ever heard. As much as I love trying to tell people what they're spending their money on, I can't repeat any line of that song in this review. Which is just one of several reasons that, if you're into punk, you should check out the latest punk rock collage from Blink-182. |