Third Eye Blind
Red Eye – EP
7/10
Listening to Third Eye Blind is so sweetly nostalgic, like flipping through a yearbook, or watching reruns of Rocko’s Modern Life. There was a year in my life where someone burned me a copy of their self-titled debut (a year or six after it came out) and I was never the same. It never left my CD player. You know, there’s no accounting for my taste, but I can honestly say that I glowed with excitement when I was emailed the link to their new EP. I didn’t really care what they were singing about, or if Stephen Jenkins is getting wrinkly, or if I won’t understand this round of weird metaphors. Before listening to the EP, I checked out a video they have up on their site titled “The Making of Ursa Major Part I,” (Ursa Major is their upcoming full-length) and a feeling of weird, foot-tapping, head-bobbing, wanting to dance, sweet and silent contentment washed over me. Stephen Jenkins, where have you been all my life?
Fans of 3EB who have come to know and love (and miss) their sound will be delighted at this latest installment. Anyone else who’s looking for something new and rocking may be sorely disappointed. I think Third Eye Blind exists solely for people who love them- and by that I mean they don’t feel widely translatable for everyone. Their music is simple, the instrumentals encompassing that which you can find either on adult contemporary or easy listening. They haven’t changed much in the five years since they last made an album. The songs all sound vaguely familiar, and the lyrics are still vaguely confusing, painting weird metaphors for their listeners to ponder over.
“Why Can’t You Be” is a mellow tune that speaks of the things that a lover often lacks. Relatable on all accounts if you’ve ever been in a disappointing or unsatisfying relationship- the chorus kicks off with “Why can’t you be like my Waterpik shower massager, a sweet reliable machine… the purest love I’ve ever known”. “Non Dairy Creamer” is the standout track, the most reminiscent of days gone by. It’s about not being fake, politics, and there are couple references to being gay and the War in Iraq. Confused? So am I, though sometimes I think that’s what they go for. Sometimes I can’t tell if 3EB are articulate in a way that transcends understanding, or if they’re just full of shit, but either way, I suppose I don’t care.
–Caitlin Elgin