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Albums Reviews

Third Eye Blind

Ursa Major
Two and a half stars

Sep 27, 2009

So well, Ursa Major, which had almost taken on the proportions of a myth, is finally, physically here among us. The wait for this album really tested the patience of 3eb fans ”“ the release had been postponed for nearly a year. And after all time what Stephan Jenkins produces is one crippled sibling of Out of The Vein (2003.) Today Third Eye Blind only retains Jenkins from the original line up and Ursa Major is reflective of weak songwriting , its as if Jenkins urged his new band members Tony Friedeanelli and Brad Hargreaves to absorb the band’s past catalogue and try to replicate it the best they can so he can feel at home. On the opening number, ”˜Can You Take Me,’ Jenkins storms on the chorus ”˜I want to riot/Lets start a riot, me and you/Cause a riot’s overdue,’ it’s a melodic regurgitation of the refrain on ”˜Danger’ from ”¦The Vein. ”˜Bonfire,’ ”˜Sharp Knife’ and ”˜One in Ten’ take a slight detour from the tired format of 3eb compositions, but they fail to make an impact or achieve any distinction. Once known for his clever, spiffy lyricism, the album also exposes Jenkins’ deteriorating verse, though on ”˜Summer Town’ he seems to explain his condition perfectly: ”˜This dumb jam didn’t mean a thing/Ecstasy, rave is king/Fake diamonds shining on a finger/And I’m bad for you/You stole my soul, or I gave it to you.’ Ursa Major is one of Thrid Eye Blind’s most forgettable pieces of work. Jenkins is stretching the project beyond its strength, and 3eb is gradually fading into the background. It’s rumoured that Jenkins has plans for a sequel to this called Ursa Minor; if Major is any indication, someone should warn him against it.

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