by Jim Parsons
Campus Editor
How'd you like to be alone and drowning?
That's the question San Francisco quartet Third Eye Blind asks in its self-titled debut release, an album full of what appears to be MTV-ready, alt-rock-guitar-driven tunes.
If the music sounds familiar, well, it should. 3EB lists some of the most important figures in rock among its influences: Perry Farrell, David Bowie and U2's The Edge, among others.
Though the songs may sound familiar, there's really something deeper that distinguishes 3EB from the millions of other alternative groups swarming like locusts over the radio waves, consuming everything original with their angst-ridden Muzak.
For an example of what makes 3EB different, take a listen to the current single, "Semi-Charmed Life."
It's a catchy song, powered by lots o' guitar and enough hooks to make even Hootie and the Blowfish envious. The opening section might remind you of the Jackson 5, and the rapid-fire lyrics conjure up thoughts of 311's "Down."
As for those lyrics, 3EB describes them as talking about "a relationship gone wrong due to speed addiction ... not the kind of subject matter you'll find in your average pop ditty."
Big deal, you say? Yup, but you try writing a peppy, summertime song about crystal meth addiction. It's a little difficult, wouldn't you think? But the lyrics are one of the group's chief charms - or fascinations.
Stephan Jenkins, vocalist, said he doesn't want the music to hide in the lyrical shadows, and that can't be any more apparent anywhere than in "Semi-Charmed Life." It's the seductive music which draws the listener in, but it's a "lockjawed mess" you're drawn into, a musical representation of speed.
Considering the words and music as a package, thinking of how they work together, gives you a few songs worth remembering. One critic called it "power pop with an attitude."
Take the second track, "Narcolepsy," which opens with a dreamy guitar section. As Jenkins (a University of California-Berkeley grad) sings "I can feel this Narcolepsy slide into another nightmare," though, the piece turns into a high-gear rocker.
Stop the press! The band used one of the most tried and true musical conventions - an up-tempo restatement of the original slow theme - and it worked! It's a cliché, but it avoids being clichéd.
"Narcolepsy" turned out to be one of my favorite songs on the disc, with the insistent beat (even in the slow opening section, there's an urgent quarter-note surge in the background) and lyrics like "I read dead Russian authors volumes at a time/I write everything down except what's on my mind."
Arion Salazar (bass) and Brad Hargreaves (drums) complete the group, laying a strong foundation for Jenkins' vocal range and Kevin Cadogan's experiments in guitar.
There are other tracks on the album worth a good, long listen too, like the last two: "Motorcycle Drive By," which features a winding, twisting score that rises to a crescendo and then calmly finishes, and "God of Wine," which slowly builds on Jenkins' soothing vocals to a smoldering zenith.
But from these songs, the album drops down to lows like "London," which you could find from any alternative band worth its body piercings.
It's the unusual lyrics and the way they interact with the music that makes 3EB worth noticing. Credit Jenkins and Cadogan with that - the group was their idea, and they wrote all the songs on the disc.
Despite its unmistakable roots in the swarm of locusts, and as tired as saying so may sound, 3EB has its own style. Get hooked by the music, explore the dark side of the lyrics - but watch it. You might become addicted.