To re-launch the site, I’m giving you 5 of my most influential artist’s ranked discographies in 5 days. These are going to be in the order that I “discovered” them over the course of 30 years. And if you’re curious, here’s how I score albums.
Previously: [1993] Garth Brooks, [1997] Caedmon’s Call, [2003] Hanson
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2007
Of course, I knew the self-titled album inside out like everyone else back in the late 90s-early 2000s. There were even some tracks I liked on Blue. And I noticed when Out of the Vein was released in 2003, but I didn’t pick it up. And then they went silent. It wasn’t until someone whose music taste I respect wrote a Facebook post praising Out of the Vein that I downloaded it and returned to re-discover the band. It would be another year before the released an EP and followed by a full length in 2009. I’ve been on board ever since.
When I saw them last summer, Stephan Jenkins said, “I know what you’re thinking: ‘This is the best they’ve ever sounded.’ And you’re right, it is!” The lineup hasn’t been all that stable, but the place they are at now feels really good and like something with staying power. Unlike some of their contemporaries in the alternative space, 3EB has stayed incredibly consistent (first artist in this series with no 1-stars) and keeps putting out solid rock music now 25 years on.
1. Third Eye Blind (1997)
There’s not a lot to be said about this album. It was everywhere. Five singles over the course of eighteen months, three of those were Top 5 on the Adult Top 40. Six times platinum. Numerous movie soundtrack placements – sometimes multiple songs in the same film. No skips. The weakest songs would be winners on many albums that came out around the same time. It’s the sound of 1997-98. Full disclosure: I didn’t get my hands on it until I started college in 1999 and so for me it’s the sound of ’99-’00 because it was one of three to five CDs that were consistently in my discman as I biked across campus.
Worth noting, a 20th anniversary edition dropped in 2017 with B-sides and demos. It’s worth hearing, but it doesn’t add anything to the original album.
Favorite Tracks: Motorcycle Drive By, How’s It Going to Be, Semi-Charmed Life, Jumper, Graduate, Good for You
2. Blue (1999)
This album had a different vibe from the original and it may have been more about timing than anything. Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys had hit earlier in the year. Woodstock ’99 had hearlded something of an end to mainstream rock. Bands were either going softer (Matchbox 20) or harder (Bush) there wasn’t really a place in the middle of the alternative sounds of the mid-decade. Internal band strife certainly didn’t help. Original guitarist and key songwriter Kevin Cadogan would be fired promptly upon completion of the album.
There’s a track on this album that I really, really loved for a long time. Over the last few years I’ve realized that it is extremely misogynistic and problematic in a number of ways. When I first connected with it, I had a specific connection to it and it rang true at the time. I still really dig the sound and melody of it, but I won’t list it below.
Favorite Tracks: Deep Inside of You, Never Let You Go, 1000 Julys
3. Ursa Major (2009)
After the band’s third album the band stayed pretty quiet from 2005 onward. The released a 3-song EP (Red Star) in 2008 then came back with a full length in the late summer of 2009. Ursa Major is solid from top to bottom. Like the debut, even the lesser songs here are tracks most bands would be proud of. There is a deluxe edition that features an live version of the song “Why Can’t You Be” that is not really a must-have.
Favorite Tracks: About to Break, Water Landing, Why Can’t You Be, Can You Take Me, Bonfire
4. Out of the Vein (2003)
In a different way than Blue, Out of the Vein was a victim of timing. I remember walking through the mall and seeing huge posters for the album on the window of Sam Goody or some similar store, but the record really received no promotion. The band’s label at the time, Elektra, was in the midst of a takeover that killed the promotion department and ended up cutting a large number of artists, Third Eye Blind included.
This album would be the first with guitarist Tony Fredianelli and the last with long-time bass player Arion Salazar. The sound isn’t any different than it had been before. Like I said: this band is profoundly consistent.
Favorite Tracks: Blinded, Faster, Forget Myself, Wake for Young Souls, Crystal Baller
5. We Are Drugs (2016)
Ok, the thing that they aren’t consistent on… releasing material. I’m not deep in the fandom, so I don’t always know when something new is coming. I found out about this one because I guy I was following at the time Brian Fennell (of the band Barcelona) had worked on it and posted about it. It’s only seven tracks, and they are mostly mid-tier. One song in particular stands out, “Cop vs. Phone Girl.” It has the potential to sound really self-righteous or cheesy, but it’s delivered with such sincerity that it perfectly balances itself. It’s one of my favorites in the entire catalog.
Favorite Tracks: Cop vs. Phone Girl, Company of Strangers
6. Unplugged (2022)
Acoustic songs have always had a place in the Third Eye Blind catalog, even if just serving for an opening verse or giving way to an amped up outro. Unplugged, however, keeps it chill all the way through. I’m not entirely sure what prompted the retrospective re-recording, but it’s a welcomed edition. The collection is mostly the biggest, most popular songs (the self-titled album claims five of the thirteen slots), but there are a few fan favorites and rarities. A singluar new song sneaks into the list, “Second Born.” I can’t say that any of the rehashes improve on the originals, but it’s nice to have a more relaxed vibe.
Favorite Tracks: Blinded, Faster, Never Let You Go, Losing a Whole Year
7. Summer Gods Tour Live (2017)
Having seen some live vids on YouTube, my hopes were not high for this live outing and my expectations were on point. Great songs but they just sound a bit like mush here. To be fair, when I saw them live in 2022, they were fantastic live. Eight out of thirteen songs in the stelist are from the debut record.
Favorite Tracks: Motorcycle Drive By, Good for You, Shipboard Cook
8. Dopamine (2015)
This is probably my “go-to” album from the band. There aren’t any big “all-timer” songs here, but it’s the most reliable and consistent. It flows well from one end to the other. It’s also something of a rebirth for the band as it is the debut for 3 of 5 band members. Kryz Reid joins on guitar along with Alex LeCavalier on bass and Alex Kopp on keys.
Favorite Tracks: Everything is Easy, Shipboard Cook, All the Souls, Get Me Out of Here
9. Screamer (2019)
The first album to include keyboard player Collin CreeV is a slight step in a new direction. Jenkins credits CreeV (who co-writes on six tracks) with a lot of the band’s resurgence over the past 5 year. National Wrestling Alliance owner and sometime Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan co-writes a track and provides support to the project. Fewer standout tracks than previous albums, but nothing is particularly wrong here.
Favorite Tracks: The Kids are Coming (To Take You Down), Got So High
10. Our Bande Apart (2021)
The most recent collection of original material feels more mellow – perhaps a foreshadowing of the yet to come Unplugged album. Only nine songs and not much to get excited about.
Favorite Tracks: Again, Silverlake Neophyte
11. Thanks for Everything (2018)
Seven cover songs of which I’m not really familiar with any of the original material. I’m not even familiar with a few of the original performers at all. I typically enjoy a cover record if a band makes the songs their own. If the songs are obscure, it can be harder for me to connect with because while the performances can be solid, they don’t always feel authentic.
Favorite Tracks: 10
in review 