Of all the second-wave post-grunge bands from 1997,
Third Eye Blind
cultivated the most dedicated fan base. Sure,
Matchbox 20
sold more records, but for
TEB
devotees, the San Franciscan band carried the torch originally lit by such breakthrough alt-rock acts as
U2
and
INXS
-- big, glossy bands that unabashedly celebrated both hooks and rock classicism. Under the direction of
Stephan Jenkins
,
celebrated these same virtues, but since they arrived at a time when there were a lot of glossy, even slick, bands marketed as alternative rock, it's easy to see why many observers believed
were no different than the legions of post-grunge rockers who dominated the charts that year. By the 1999 release of
Blue
, the group's second album, many of their peers from 1997 had faded away.
Jenkins
must have been aware of the fleeting nature of fandom in the '90s, since he pushes his band hard throughout the album. It's as if he's trying to shake the ghost of
"Semi-Charmed Life,"
the ingratiatingly hummable hit that gave
success but pegged them, in many observers' eyes, as a bubblegum one-hit wonder.
is certainly somber and serious, even with its moments of levity. Almost too much so.
sound a little strained when they earnestly try to rock, and the same problem occasionally plagues their slower songs, though they do sound more self-confident there. This problem surfaces because they sound natural when they're a little loose; at that point, they're not too self-conscious to avoid hooks, which they seem to do quite often on
. While this self-consciousness mars
, it doesn't ruin it, because it lifts often enough (on
"Wounded,"
"An Ode to Maybe,"
"Anything,"
"Never Let You Go,"
the album's highlight), and because it announces that they're stronger and more serious than many of their post-grunge peers. It also illustrates what
truly excel at -- big, glossy alt-pop in the tradition of
. There's not quite enough of it this time around to make
the equal of its predecessor, but it should be enough to please devoted fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine