Blink 182 – Self Titled - 2003

Having been a Blink fan for a few years now, I knew that their next album had to be different from the pop-punk culture they essentially created. The self-titled disc is such a great collection of all of their influences (rock, hip-hop, indie, emo, alternative), it is almost like listening to a new band. Mark, Tom and Travis really show their musical maturity from songs about drinking and having sex to collaborating with Cure singer Robert Smith on “All of This” and a spoken word intro accompanied by piano on “Stockholm Syndrome”. This is by far one of the best albums to have come out recently and I can say with some certainty that I will be a Blink fan for a few more years. - Jennifer Kingsbury