This album is the enemy of the playlist. I seldomly ever find myself listening to individual cuts off Third Eye Blind. The Self-Titled record was released in 1997, and I was born in 1999. For as long as I can remember, this album has remained a constant in my life. In the car, in the house, in the little CD binder in the basement. To me, this album is perfect. It is the quintessential late 90s pop-rock album. There are others that may be more famous, but I think Third Eye Blind has so many different ways to connect with you. From “Jumper”, which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, to “How’s It Going To Be”, to “The Background”, there are just no weak points here to me. It’s an album about wanting more, from relationships, from yourself, from the world, and not getting it. “Motorcycle Drive-By” is one of the best penultimate songs to wrap up an album that I’ve ever heard, the lyrics really do speak to the nature of starting over, and bringing the album to a crescendo that finally collapses on “God of Wine”, which brings everything to a head, ending with: “Searching for something I could never give you, there’s someone who understands you more than I do, a sadness I can’t erase, all alone on your face” It is a beautiful way to close everything out, and it leaves the listener with the message that no matter how much you want something, you can’t force it to materialise. Even as the years roll on, and my taste changes and shifts away from the pseudo pop-punk that Third Eye Blind was known for, I still this album is one that kind of defines the late-90\'s sound. I could gush about every second of this record, but it’s just better to be experience it for yourself. Jason M: The single from this album (yes there were actually five but you know the one) was on rotation in the Halifax pool hall I frequented often after work when it came out. I doubt I\'ve listened to the album in its entirety but there\'s a first time for everything. Sweet riffs, sweeter harmonies and Stephan Jenkins\' pipes drive the record from \"Losing a Whole Year,\" the anthemic \"Motorcycle Drive By\" and the gear-changing \"Narcolepsy.\" Third Eye Blind made the most of the material here, whether it\'s the softer \"Jumper\" or \"How\'s It Going to Be\" which hit all the little radio-friendly checkmarks for its late \'90s era. The crunchy thick guitar work throughout are hit and miss to these ears with \"Good for You\" not good for me. It\'s probably two or three songs too long for these ears but when a 27-year-old album has a few tunes you know verbatim and aren\'t a big fan it\'s clear they did something right. Joe D: Born in 1999??? Meanwhile I have vivid memories of elementary school-aged me getting carted around by my parents, and “Semi-Charmed Life” playing intermittently on nearly every station. Time is unforgiving. Anyway, the album: Third Eye Blind’s self-titled synthesised so many elements of 90s rock into radio-friendly pop rock, with shades of Radiohead’s The Bends on tracks like “Thanks A Lot” and “I Want You,” but with melodies that would make The Gin Blossoms blush and enough nods to ska to piss people off–a refreshing cleanser from the grunge era. Much like Jason though, this is my first time listening to the record from start to finish and damn, it’s pretty good (though not something I’d throw into the regular rotation). You can see why it’s the template for numerous pop-punk and radio rock acts that came after, though most haven’t had the chops to execute such a staggering number of melodies. It’s a shame frontman Stephan Jenkins was such a colossal dick and egomaniac that they fired their savant guitarist Kevin Cadogan in the midst of recording their follow-up, and the band never reached the same heights again. Even so, having one mega hit record is a lot more than most can say, and Third Eye Blind certainly belongs in the pantheon of power pop. Maddie: Even though I’m in sort of the same boat as Jacob (I was not old enough to be creating memories and as such have none of experiencing this album in real time when it first came out), I’m kind of embarrassed that I never listened to it in its entirety in the more than 25 years since then. To me, this feels like a perfect car album, a perfect road trip album, more precisely. We have enough recognizable bangers to carry us through the bulk of the time, but the more introspective, more tender moments punctuate it nicely and offer a bit of a reprieve. What’s more, it feels nostalgic in the best way, somehow, even if it’s not tied to one specific memory, and I think that’s pretty powerful. All in all, this was a really enjoyable listen. It very much feels like it’s Of A Particular Era, but it still hits all these years later. https://open.spotify.com/album/2gToC0XAblE9h3UZD6aAaQ?si=fuC-1Xt1SDayo1qj8GqFLQ