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Boxcar Racer
MCA Records Boxcar Racer. Odds are that you’ve heard of this side project of Blink 182 guitarist Tom DeLonge. DeLonge armed himself with Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker, David Kennedy from the band Over My Dead Body, and Anthony Celestino for this album. Taken straight from their website, DeLonge states that “this record is directly influenced by the bands that mean the most to me. It’s a tribute to the music that made me want to be in a band in the first place.” The album starts out with the band’s first single, “I Feel So” and continues with the same soft verse to powerful chorus, emo-ish formula throughout. Each song has some interesting parts musically and/or lyrically, but some parts can get to be a bit drawn out. Besides his unmistakable voice and familiar guitar sound, DeLonge succeeded in giving Boxcar Racer a different sound from Blink 182. One disappointing thing is that the simple guitar hooks and melodies found in Blink albums are gone. Another thing is that the album gets to be quite predictable by the end.
Musically, the album is nothing extraordinary, but it is interesting at times. Some of the guitar riffs are downright catchy, especially when a flowing vocal track is thrown on top of them. One of the highlights of this album is the drumming of Travis Barker. Album after album, Barker continues to come up with original beats and fills, whether it’s with Blink 182, the Transplants, or Boxcar Racer. Overall, this is Tom DeLonge’s project. While he put together an interesting album, it’s not something that you need to listen to over and over. If you’re more about the emo and less about the punk, give this album a listen. If you live for fast tempos, and 1-2-3-4 drum beats, there are probably some better albums out there for you. XROXX Rating: XXXX (4X's out of a possible 5 X's) Mark Farning
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Fellow Blink 182 band-mate Mark Hoppus makes a vocal appearance on “Elevator” and Tim Armstrong of Rancid makes a vocal appearance on “Cat Like Thief,” which further tightens the Blink 182, Transplants, Rancid, and now Boxcar Racer link. Lyrically, the album is much more serious than Blink albums, with the exception of their newest self-titled album. Maybe serious isn’t the best word to describe the lyrical themes. To put it another way, DeLonge does away with the humorous lines scattered around Blink 182 albums and allows his personal feelings to fuel the entire album.