Third Eye Blind rules the world again

Third Eye Blind’s new album is one of the most exciting, explosive comebacks to ever grace the rock world.

The San Francisco band almost died out after a series of unfortunate events, sparked when the band sacked its guitarist, Kevin Cadogan. However, rumors of a comeback stirred when Panic! at the Disco singer Ryan Ross was quoted saying the group’s music was inspired by bands such as Third Eye Blind.

Gossip then spread, claiming Third Eye Blind was one of the bands that started the whole emo punk movement. Although singer Stephen Jenkins denies these rumors, the members brought the band together for some phenomenally crowded concerts.

Its comeback album, “Ursa Major,” is a beast that screams out for attention. Its first single, “Don’t Believe a Word,” is a hot-wired political song with some of the best lyrics to date. Anyone can tell that Jenkins hates George W. Bush, especially when he sings, “Don’t believe a word/Just keep on breathing/’Cause pretty soon/That good King George will wake up screaming.” Jenkins even acts out Bush screaming in agony.

The group members are nearly virtuosos at playing their instruments. Rather than contrasting their songs from soft to energetically loud, guitarists Jenkins and Tony Fredianelli work out some rhythmically complicated riffs. For instance, in the song “Sharp Knife,” they flawlessly play through long strings of arpeggios and solos that I couldn’t hum back, even if I tried.

The drummer rolls his snares and toms all over the song. It sounds incredible and is nearly impossible to play unless the group is as coordinated as Third Eye Blind.
Probably the most surprising songs are the ones that combine harrowing lyrics of poverty in San Francisco with the poetic guitars of Fredianelli and Jenkins.

The words in “About to Break” are a haunting portrait of how “It’s about to break/For the social worker at the needle exchange/For the soft medicated and the hard deranged/For the lesbians at the bakery/Saying, ‘Do you really hate me?’ ”

The electric guitars play a perfectly subdued, soft instrumentation, before breaking out gratingly loud chords and solos near the end.

Jenkins finds so many unique pictures to paint in his lyrics.

Jenkins’ moody side especially shows in “Summer Town,” the song in which he contemplates all his friends who died. He reflects the familiar adage that “All we are are friends we keep or lose in time/Fade away, the precious ones we keep in mind/I wonder now if I’m the one that you’d leave behind.”

This new album is the perfect drug for anyone feeling depressed. The bouncy staccatos of Jenkins’ voice and Fredianelli’s guitar makes for an exciting listen, with a burst of adrenaline behind every note. The group coordinates plenty of seamless collaborations with horns and various backup singers.

In fact, Third Eye Blind’s new album is one of my absolute favorite albums of all time. For what it’s worth, “Ursa Major” may be the most underrated comeback CD this year. This is a must-have collection of fantastic songs like no other.