Collaborations: Blink 182 & Robert Smith of The Cure

Back in late 2003, Blink 182 released their fifth album. On this self titled album, it not only showed these guys growing up and maturing but, also showed a whole other side of themselves with the songs written for this one. I remember liking this album a lot and over the years I’ve really come to appreciate it even more. I’ll never forget listening to this album for the first time and when it got to track number 12, I was completely taken aback by the song. Robert Smith from The Cure collaborated on this song and it’s quite possibly one of the best Blink 182 songs they’ve ever written. Interestingly too, this song would have been a single for the band had they not broken up in 2005. Another fun story about this collaboration is that, Robert Smith recorded his parts in England and took a significant amount of time recording the song, to the point that the band was unsure of whether or not his contribution would make the record. The band was waiting on Robert’s contribution to the song which showed up only mere hours before they had to turn the album into the label. If you’ve never listened to Blink 182’s 2003 self titled album, you should. It’s quite a good album full of great well written songs. It’s also not the same childish Blink that you would normally associate them with.

Blink 182 w/ Robert Smith- All Of This:

Blink 182 w/ Robert Smith- All Of This (LIVE):

My Favorite Songs: Sparta- Air

Back in 2002, following the demise of At The Drive In, Sparta (made up of 3 of the members of ATDI) released their debut album, Wiretap Scars, and it left a lasting impact on me. From the moment I heard the first single, “Cut Your Ribbon,” I knew that this band was on to something and it was pretty great. When the album came out, I remember blasting “Cut Your Ribbon” on repeat quite a few times before I let the album play, and then that’s when it all changed. The second song on the album “Air,” was it for me. I couldn’t get past how truly great of a song it was and from that point, it never left my mind. It’s one of those songs that makes it to every long playlist I make as well as when I used to make mixes for people. When you listen to “Air” you get all sorts of feels pumping through your blood. So, take 4 minutes out of your day and let this one take you away.

Sparta- Air:

 

Secret Songs: AFI-The Spoken Word & This Time Imperfect

NEW TOPIC!!! This one will showcase all the hidden songs at the end of albums. You know the ones you had to wait 10-20 minutes for after the last song ended.

A.F.I.’s 2003 album Sing The Sorrow was quite a success. The album saw the band shift their sound even more from their once hardcore/horror punk roots. The end result though, despite many of the bands early fans not accepting the change, was an album that is pretty damn good. The album also featured two hidden tracks at the end.  After a brief silence at the end of “…Bit Home Is Nowhere”, piano music begins to play as guitarist Jade Puget’s younger brother Gibson speaks the first third of the poem. After the poem is concluded, the hidden track “This Time Imperfect” fades in, featuring a guitar playing backwards and extensive sampling. “This Time Imperfect” is a really cool song that contains a lot of the elements heard on Sing The Sorrow.

A.F.I.- The Spoken Word/This Time Imperfect: