I'm not entirely sure why, but whenever I've hit a rough patch in life, blink-182 has helped me get through it time and again. Maybe it's because their music transports me to simpler times, or because their lyrics oscillate between hilariously inane (i.e. "Family Reunion") and shockingly profound ("Adam's Song" is actually an anti-suicide song -- almost no one realizes this because the lyrical differences in the final chorus are so nuanced), or because you can't help but smile when you hear those pop punky guitar riffs over Travis Barker's crazy drum lines. Their new record "California" couldn't have come at a better time. I needed this album. If you never liked blink (beyond "What's My Age Again?" and "All The Small Things", because only fascists don't like those), you probably won't feel anything special. But if you did, or do, go listen to it immediately, because there's a good chance it's going to put a huge smile on your face. Easily their best album since TOYPAJ.
And with that: