One of my favourite songs from their thoroughly-excellent Neighborhoods album, and certainly one of the more mainstream-ready tracks.
The video is comprised of live show and backstage footage, much like the last video, and though it’s disappointing to not have a ‘real’ video, there’s no doubt that this still captures the essence of the track. Full of action and energy, there’s plenty of performance shots alongside the customary funny moments (there’s lots of crotch thrusting), packed around the vibrancy of the live crowds. Unfortunately (and annoyingly), they’ve not made it available for embedding, so you’ll have to click below and head over to get182.com to watch the clip.
Blink-182-Wishing Well Video
Blink-182 follow up their comeback album’s release this week with brand new visuals for what is probably the most energetic, fast-paced track from the fantastic Neighborhoods album.
The track followed Up All Nightas one of the first released from the album, and the video follows suit. Unlike the aforementioned video, this is comprised largely of live show footage, which makes for a much-needed personal touch and sense of collaboration from the band: whilst the music has been genuinely great, many Blink fans have missed the fun, togetherness and camaraderie of the group, and there are certainly instances of those elements in this video as the group appear to have a little fun throughout whilst performing.
The third track made available from Neighborhoods, and it’s delivered in an unconventional manner in keeping with the unique methods both Tom and Mark have favoured in recent years. Having been premiered by Zane Lowe a few hours ago, you can now head to Get182.com to play a game and be rewarded with a free download of After Midnight: It’s not my job to ruin anyone’s fun/promotional tactic, so head there to get the track!
The instrumental work has a fantastic blend of the wistful, distant Angels and Airwaves guitar style with a bittersweet pop-punk edge, giving it a sound similar to the previous Blink album, but with a heavy dose of Angels’ ethereal influence. Tom’s melodies are as strong as ever on the verses, belting out some incredibly catchy vocals throughout, whilst Mark delivers an addictive chorus lyrically reminiscent of his work with +44, synergising superbly with the production to really anchor the song. The first real audio evidence of a fusion between the +44 and Angels & Airwaves styles, whilst also having a throwback Blink style, and it’s a successful combination that arguably makes for the best track we’ve heard from the album thus far. Grab the track here!
Anarchy, looting, disorder and mayhem is the central theme here, only this time I don’t think anyone’s going to get arrested for it.
Blink-182 cement their comeback with the first official set of visuals from Neighborhoods, going with a rebellious video packed full of an infectious, youthful carefreeness, contrasting nicely with the general darkness of the clip, and hence accurately reflecting the opposing styles of the uplifting hook and grittier verses in the audio.
Busy nighttime scenes of kids (and of course, Blink themselves!) causing as much havoc as possible make up most of the video, whilst the band themselves are seen surrounded in flames to further enhance the edgy, anarchic style of the video. Thematically, it’s nothing groundbreaking but it’s an easy, energetic watch that works well with the audio, and will certainly appeal to the mainstream viewers.
There were many that weren’t totally won over by the first release from Blink-182′s upcoming Neighborhoods album (the artwork is quite clearly to the left), and whilst I wasn’t one of those folk, the departure from their previous sounds was inevitably going to lead to such divisions in their fanbase. Back in 2003, many weren’t totally convinced by their ‘final’/previous album for identical reasons.
This song however will win over anyone with lingering doubts from either project, heralding a return to the fast-paced, energetic music with the unmistakeable boyish charm that characterised the majority of their back catalogue and epitomised 90′s and early 00′s punk music. Lyrically however, it feels considerably more mature that previous works, with a relatively bittersweet message atop the frenetic instrumental work, throwing in a welcome influence of the +44 style. With it being such a radical stylistic departure from Up All Night, thoughts naturally linger towards understanding the direction of the album, though admittedly the unpredictability is welcomed and I hope to see further shows of diversity ahead of that September 27th release date.
If the lineup wasn’t enough clarification, the latest set of visuals from Travis Barker’s solo album (available now) are pretty much swelling with energy and intensity.
Yela, Busta and Twista come through with very enjoyable raps, each bringing high-tempo, high-octane verses that make the most of an edgy, guitar-tinged production, whilst Lil Jon actually fits in rather well with his aggressive style on the hook enhancing the intensity of the track. Barker is typically solid on the drums, though its his general production work here that shines through, serving up a production that creates a nice platform for each rapper to work with.
Decent video, focused largely around a somewhat gothically-styled auction (?!), with the dim, grainy shooting style adding a darkness to the audio that enhances the rock influence on the production. Enhances the audio well enough, and worth a watch. Found on the Give The Drummer Some album, available on iTunes and so forth.
When the release of this track was announced, I expected my review to be anything but subjective. I’m a massive Blink fan, and the release of their first new material in 8 years (!) is something I was always going to meet with overwhelming positivity, hence I felt it would just become a love-in. Thankfully though, any praise I do give is absolutely warranted here, as they’ve come through with a very enjoyable track from their upcoming Neighborhoods album.
Up All Night blends together the jagged, heavier instrumentation found on the Box Car Racer album (and in parts on the last Blink album) with the melodic sensibility of Tom DeLonge’s work as part of Angels and Airwaves, the catchy, anthemic hook in particular being reminiscent of Tom’s better work with AVA, whilst the Box Car-esque punchy guitar and pulsating drum work add a powerful intensity and addictive energy. The result is a successful synergy of styles that lives up to Travis’ billing of this being a ‘logical step-forward’, and should satisfy large chunks of their fanbas by virtue of drawing on multiple influences. Inevitably, it will be compared to more ‘accessible’ singles from previous albums, but it’s a song that certainly grows in stature with each listen and crucially it feels as musically watertight as any of their previous material. Grab a listen below. EDIT: Buy the single here! (A demand, not a recommendation).
Very solid video for the mega-star collaboration from Travis Barker’s debut album (which is out now by the way folks!). One of those songs that’s very easy to listen to in a playlist, it’s also one of the few genuinely likeable all-star tracks amidst a sea of them.
The video has a sketchy, alternative cinematography that keeps things dynamic and interesting, whilst the artists come together in an old-school ‘band’ style that gives this a very organic feel. Being interspersed with shots from various street/outdoor scenes is OK and whilst the scenes themselves fit with the audio nicely, the constant switching does get a little distracting at times in taking the focus away from the more enjoyable ‘band’ scenes. Solid video content-wise though, and definitely embellishes the audio. Be sure to grab that album!
Prior to this track, I either hated or loved Diplo remixes. It seems that hallowed ground of ‘it’s alright’ has finally been found, as this remix is decent. Switching out Travis’ rock-influenced production for an electronic blend of synths, various noises and a solid percussion, Diplo transforms the feel of the song into a futuristic style that’ll really appeal to the dance/electro heads.
Much praise is deserved for managing to completely revamp the beat and still making the raps fit nicely with the movement of the production. My natural lean toward hip-hop/rock means I was always going to prefer the original, but this is certainly a solid remix.
The new LP by Travis Barker is nearing release, it’ll be available in just over two weeks! If you haven’t already go cop his mixtape (by clicking here) he did with DJ Whoo Kid, I’m told it’s rather good.
The artwork on the left here for this is pretty crazy and quite frankly freaks me out a little, I honestly can’t look at it for more than 3 seconds without having to look away *shudders*
Features on this new album include the likes of Game, Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco, RZA, Raekwon, Kid Cudi, Lil’ Wayne, Bun B, as well as my favourite hip hop group about: SLAAAAUGHTERHOUUUSE! You can check the tracklist out yourself by clicking below.
Travis wastes no time in dropping some visuals from his recent mixtape release, kicking things off with the Clipse collaboration. The track is extremely solid, and the spiky production additions from Travis compliment the brash rhymes of Pusha and Malice very well.
The interesting thing about this video is that it’s actually shot entirely with the Xbox 360 Kinect camera, which is most definitely interesting. Don’t ask me how they’ve done it/used it, but it’s resulted in some fairly eye-catching effects, ranging from black and white pixellated filters to stop-motion animation, giving this otherwise simple video a pretty spectacular visual appearance.
Worth a watch, just to see how this gaming technology is being creatively (and successfully) utilised! It’s an interesting thought that this could become quite prevalent, and hopefully we’ll see more abuse of gaming accessories for use in music videos.
As promised, here is the highly-anticipated download of Travis Barker and DJ Whoo Kid‘s incredible mixtape Let the Drummer Get Wicked. Along with Kanye and Jay-Z‘s “H.A.M.” remix, appearances are bananas on this one – Lil’ Wayne, The Game, The Clipse, J. Cole, Royce da 5’9, Lupe Fiasco, Lloyd Banks, Fabolous, Wyclef, Jim Jones, Wiz Khalifa, Tony Yayo, Big K.R.I.T., Wacka Flocka, Tech N9ne, Killa Kyleon, Too $hort, Big Sean, Three 6 Mafia and Xzibit.
Looking forward to giving this a listen, as Travis’ track record with remixes is face-shatteringly good. Hopefully we’ll catch a glimpse of some of his original material on the upcoming Give The Drummer Some album too, as I enjoyed the first single from the album, and have no doubt Travis will serve up a consistent body of good material. Either way, be sure to give this one a listen and get prepared for that album!
I’m certainly enjoying the high-octane, energetic single from Travis’ upcoming Give The Drummer Some album, and here he grabs two of the track’s co-stars for a performance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show.
It’s one of those tracks that’s really made for a loud, live environment and it’s performed pretty well by all involved, keeping the energy levels up (despite seemingly getting the wrong demographics in the audience…!) and doing justice to the original. Give The Drummer Some coming soon.
From Whoo Kid and Travis’ upcoming Let The Drummer Get Wicked mixtape (in preparation for his debut Give The Drummer Some album), Travis unleashes another intense remix of an already-fiery hip-hop track.
I’ve not taken to the original version of H.A.M. as much as I thought I would after the first listen, though that’s partly down to my recent penchant for old school tracks. Either way, this is a fantastic remix and in my (not so humble) opinion, it improves the production considerably. The addition of spiky guitar riffs works superbly with the existing production, and similarly the live drum aspect plays off that operatic, powerful and aggressive production style served up by Lex Luger. In particular, the transition from the opera style back into the track towards the end is perfectly suited to Travis’ spiky, energetic additions and for me, this trumps the original.
This is the title track (sort of) from Travis Barker’s soon to be released album Give The Drummer Some. We’ve already heard a couple of joints that are supposedly from the album here and here, and I have to say they haven’t really lived up to my expectations.
The first thing that’ll catch your eye with this, as it did mine, is the line up. Swizz and Travis together absolute nail the production, as heavy electric guitars, deep bass and big drums combine to give these three fine rappers a majestic platform to lay down their bars. Game, Weezy and Ross all suit this big production style and each of them gives us an aggressive verse, in-keeping with the vibe of track. A perfect track to get you in the mood to kick some ass.
Travis Barker ft. Game, Lil’ Wayne, Rick Ross & Swizz Beatz-Can A Drummer Get Some
A brand new Big Sean track that’s set to be premiered on Travis Barker’s upcoming mixtape Let The Drummer Get Wicked, Big Nut Bust combines Sean infectious raps with Travis Barker’s rock-inspired production style to produce one of Sean’s most diverse tracks to date.
Travis serves up a driving, guitar-laced production that is unlike anything I’ve heard Sean tackle, but he does so with consumate ease, and doesn’t sacrifice his typically laidback style at all. This provides a nice contrast throughout the track, as the spiky edges of the beat are placed alongside his smooth, catchy raps to great effect.
Butterflies in my stomach as I post this. Since their original breakup, I’ve managed to see their seperate incarnations live (+44 and Angels and Airwaves) but never got to see them together. THIS CHANGES IN JULY. Dates can be found below, tickets are on sale next Friday (26th November). See you there!
Manchester MEN Arena – Friday July 8th
Newcastle Arena – Tuesday July 12th
Nottingham Arena – Wednesday July 13th
Birmingham LG Arena – Friday July 15th
London 02 Arena – Monday July 18th
A bright and energetic video for Travis’ latest single from Give The Drummer Some.
Featuring two of the Wu’s finest, it’s impressive just how well RZA and Raekwon adjust to this rock-rap production and really make it their own. Their equally comfortable in the video, with RZA in particular being really magnetic. Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello and Travis come through with typically intense performance on the drums and guitar respectively, delivering a video that enhances the track immeasurably.
Looking forward to Give The Drummer Some, which is set for release sometime this month. This is the next single, with Travis grabbing two of Wu’s finest to lay down a few bars.
I’m on the fence with the production as it sounds very stuck in the 1999-2001 rap-rock style, a sound I was hoping would be modernised and tweaked for this album. It is a nice listen from a retro perspective, naturally enhanced by the features, but as a longtime Travis fan this isn’t quite as dynamic as I’d hoped for. Worth a look nonetheless, as it is strong material in comparison to most of the tripe out there, just not quite up to Travis’ lofty standards.
A decent summertime video for Travis’ debut solo single. Nothing too extravagant, and has a really likeable old-school flavour to it that adds a new element to the audio.
When most people are in the middle of the sea on a boat, they do a lot of things. I’d probably go with The Lonely Island’s ideas, but Travis? Travis decides to go crazy on those drums. Impeccably legendary.
Once upon a time I could claim to have never heard a Waka Flocka song – damn you Travis Barker for remixing this and making me not only check this out, but like it too. I can only describe the beat on this as hard.
I’ve been uploading a lot of Game tracks lately and there’s more to come too so deal with it. Travis Barker remixes another great hip hop track here which improves the original immeasurably. Go grab the track by clicking the red text below.
So, I’ve held off on doing one of these as I wanted to do a non-rap ‘beef’, but couldn’t think of one. I’m officially an idiot, as it was this very fallout that gave me some of my favourite music ever.
Seeing as Blink are back in the headlines for being confirmed as Reading/Leeds headliners, it seems even more appropriate to take this week’s HITNL in that direction. Amidst the joy of their reunion, many people don’t/didn’t really know the ugly history of the years between the Blink break-up and reunion. Click on for a little lot of info, and of course some tracks to enjoy from the fallout.
Every single track Travis graces, he turns it to solid gold. I’m not even joking, I’m literally surrounded by gold doubloons as a result of this track.
He takes Snoop’s relatively simple production, and cranks it up about 50 notches with some brilliant layers to make the already-likeable track into a ruthlessly addictive one. You absolutely have to check this out, regardless of your opinion on the original. It’s been remixed many times, but not like this. Bump this one loud in the car for full effect.
Now this is a great treat for everyone. Travis comes through with another superb remix (here for the other recent one), this time taking on one of the year’s biggest tracks, Forever, and making it his own.
Anyone who has an ounce of sense loves Travis’ remixes, and this one should be no different. The beat has been heavily remixed, and it works very well. I’ll probably be playing this one in place of the original to be honest, as the beat now has the hard-hitting effect the original should have. The drums fit Eminem’s verse especially well, which is just as well seeing as it’s the only part of the track that is really worth replaying.
If you know me, you’ll know that I’m a pretty big fan of Travis Barker. Not only is his material with Blink/related bands ridiculicious (don’t go stealing my new word), but his mixtapes with DJ AM (RIP) were phenomenal, and his remixes are superb too.
It’s been a while since I’ve heard him do one of his remixes, and Travis comes through here with his spin on the superb track from Slaughterhouse, The One. It’s another fantastic job from Travis, and this is a must watch for fans of any genre/anything in life. He even throws in a Bun B verse for good measure! Seriously, how is this guy so damn good at what he does?!
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