Third Eye Blind wants you to forget that it's 2009. Their new album, Ursa Major, reminisces back to the decade that put Third Eye Blind on the map - the late 1990's. Shave ten years of musical evolution from your expectations and Ursa Major is easily one of 3EB's best albums.
Stephan Jenkins and company bring back the pop-rock bump-beats and quasi-rap lyrics that made "Semi-Charmed Life" the song of the 90's to beat. They don't come anywhere close to unseating their debut masterpiece; however, they don't disappoint either. Ursa Major opens with "Can You Take Me," a song that is unmistakably 3EB, a solid trip of drums, crunchy guitar riffs and Jenkin singing about lusting for better times. In a way this sums up the entire album: a band reflecting on the best days of their lives - long behind them. Still, "Sharp Knife" shows true sincerity, "One In Ten" is more melodic than usual for 3EB, and "Summer Town" features some of 3EB's trademark rock-rap sound that was clearly borne from their 90's successes.
Ursa Major sure seems familiar, but it is a comfortable familiar for fans of 3EB. Fans who fell off the Third Eye Blind wagon during their 6-year hiatus may find not find enough here to bring them back, but everyone else should put there lives on hold and hearken back to the 90's for a while.
B3 out.
1 comment:
I think it is a wonderful album. Maybe if you went to the concert with us you would have even more appreciation for it! Thank you for giving it another try!
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