One More Time...＜完全生産限定盤＞

米ポップ・パンクの雄=blink-182 トム・デロング復帰後初となるニュー・アルバム『ONE MORE TIME…』

米ポップ・パンクの雄=blink-182(ブリンク182)がオリジナル・メンバーであるトム・デロングを再び迎え、ニュー・アルバム『ワン・モア・タイム』をする。バンドの黄金期を支えたトム・デロング(vo,g)、マーク・ホッパス(vo,b)、トラヴィス・バーカー(dr)の3人によるアルバムは2011年作『ネイバーフッズ』以来、実に12年ぶりとなる。
2015年にバンドを一度は脱退するも、昨年10月に電撃復帰を果たしたデロングを再び迎え新曲「エッジング」をリリースし、リユニオン・ツアーを敢行するなど見事なカムバックを果たしたブリンク182。バンドとしては4年ぶりとなる新作アルバムは、ホッパスとデロングによるヴォーカルの掛け合い、そしてバーカーの超絶ドラミングが一体となったこれぞブリンク182という王道のサウンドを聞かせつつ、今作では長いキャリアの中で培ったオルタナやヒップホップ的なアプローチも存分に見せており、バンドの集大成といえる傑作となっている。

Few bands captured the Zeitgeist like blink-182 did during their time as the irreverent kings of Warped Tour-era pop punk in the late 90s and early 2000s. Like a nasally, SoCal, three-headed hydra, the band, featuring singer/guitarist Tom DeLonge, singer/bassist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Travis Barker, broke boundaries, gatecrashing MTVs TRL with their snotty, tongue-in-cheek music videos and anthems about falling in love at rock shows, making prank calls, and generally being stupid and having fun. Of course, there were darker times ahead, with DeLonge quitting the band and then returning and quitting again. Barker survived a 2008 plane crash that left him with multiple injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. Finally, in 2021, Hoppus successfully underwent chemotherapy to treat a rare form of lymphoma, a diagnosis that ultimately brought the trio back together, looking to heal old wounds and rekindle lost friendships. Its that feeling of gripping onto the past right before it slips away that the reunited blink-182 capture on their ninth studio album (or tenth, depending on if you count their initial demo), 2023s One More Time.... Produced by Barker, the album is their first to feature DeLonge since 2011s Neighborhoods. While the albums the group made with Alkaline Trios Matt Skiba (2016s California and 2019s Nine) were solidly crafted, they always felt like something was missing. That something was DeLonges goofy sincerity and hyper-resonant croon, two key elements of the groups classic sound, along with their crisp guitar, bass, and drum riffs that are front and center throughout all of One More Time.... Cuts like "Dance with Me," "Bad News," and "Fell in Love" are classic blink-anthems that wouldnt sound out of place on Enema of the State or Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. Yet, there are wounds here, and the band dig deep into them, working through the mess of bad breakup on "More Than You Know" and revealing the stark truth about taking someones presence in your life for granted on "You Dont Know What Youve Got," the latter of which finds their voices intertwined in a throaty harmony. Theres certainly the sense that blink-182 are working through the pain of the past two decades on One More Time..., including the death of close friends, divorces, and their own interpersonal drama. Its a vibe of carpe diem that they explicitly underline on the title track, singing "I know that next time aint always gonna happen/I gotta say, I love you while were here." One More Time... plays like a love letter, both to fans who stuck with them and to each other -- a letter that doesnt so much ask for forgiveness as offer it willingly, passionately, and without conditions. ~ Matt Collar

ガン闘病中のマーク・ホッパス(ヴォーカル/ベース)がトム・デロング(ヴォーカル/ギター)と再会し、互いの関係性を修復。マークとトラヴィス・バーカー(ドラムス)にトムを迎えた黄金トリオ編成では12年ぶりとなる9作目。装飾やギミックは控えめに、等身大のバンド感を伝える内容だ。偉大なるラモーンズに捧げた"Dance With Me"はキャッチーなコーラスが耳に残り、従来の快活なポップ・パンクをアピール。鍵盤や打ち込みによる豊かなアレンジも織り込みつつ、どれもブリンク印が押された良質曲のオンパレードだ。そして表題曲はアコギを用いたミディアム・バラード。郷愁溢れる美メロが照り輝く名曲である。
bounce (C)荒金良介