I would argue that this is blink-182's definitive album, though Dude Ranch probably makes more sense. My choice is most because of consistency. They don't do much new; even "Stay Together for the Kids" sounds like an attempt to build off of "Adam's Song" one album prior. The singles are ("First Date," "The Rock Show"), for the most part, the best songs present, but the filler here, unlike those on Dude Ranch are consistently good, with "Happy Holidays, You Bastard," "Roller Coaster" and "Please Take Me Home" sticking in the memory after it ends. One would think that a group of guys in their mid-20s singing songs about being nervous around girls wouldn't work, but the songs seem fused with an underlying nostalgia and sincerity that make the contradiction bearable. Compare these songs to Tom DeLonge's post-blink band, Angels and Airwaves. No doubt he's sincere there, but his perpetually adolescent yelp doesn't fit his grand statements well, and it all comes off as dopey. Maybe blink-182 don't really shoot for the stars, but for this particular band, that might be their greatest strength.
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