Rant n' Rave With John Nagle

Third Eye Blind’s Ursa Major is one of the most compelling records to be released this year.  Perhaps I should clarify that sentence.  It’s not compelling from a musical or artistic perspective.  Ursa Major sounds exactly how you would expect a Third Eye Blind record to sound.  The guitars are bright, shiny and jangly.  Stephen Jenkins’ amiable voice hides the melancholy and despair of his lyrics.  If the band had released this record in 1999, it would have been a monster.

However, Third Eye Blind’s heyday is long past.  The music world has gone a myriad of changes since we first heard the sunny Lou Reed inspired “do-do-dos” of “Semi-Charmed Life.”  Ursa Major is not so much a record, but a meditation on nostalgia.

Ursa Major is the proper scientific name for the constellation that contains The Big Dipper.  It is visible for most of the year, so it is a constant presence in the sky.  Third Eye Blind has fallen into a trap that many veteran bands fall into, probably without realizing it.  Ursa Major is Third Eye Blind’s first new album since 2003.  When a veteran band releases an album of new material, they often name it something like “Never Gone,” or “Time Flies,” or “Invincible.”  It’s supposed to be knowing and a bit self-deprecating, but the artist has unwittingly labeled themselves as a nostalgia act.  By naming their album Ursa Major, Third Eye Blind is trying to tell us that they haven’t gone anywhere.  The music industry has always moved at a breakneck pace, but in the MP3 age, six months is a long time. If six months is a long time, six years is an eternity.

There is nothing wrong with turning into a nostalgia act, but listening to Ursa Major, you get the sense that Jenkins is aiming for a return to glory.  His lyrics are too current for their own good, with references to M.I.A. to prove that he is “down with the kids.” He doesn’t have to do that, because Ursa Major is really solid.  All the elements that made Third Eye Blind popular are there.  He doesn’t have to be hip.

When I told people that I was going to review the new Third Eye Blind record, I got the same reaction every time: “Third Eye Blind has a new album out? Really?”  A smirk and sarcasm usually followed.  After listening to the album several times, I started to wonder if the name was hurting them.  Third Eye Blind still has marquee value on the road.  They sell out every time they play Baltimore, but how many ticket buyers would actually buy a record that doesn’t have “Jumper,” “Semi-Charmed Life” or “Graduate?” How many people will laugh when they see Ursa Major on the racks because Third Eye Blind’s name is on the cover?  Perhaps it’s time to retire the name and let people listen with fresh ears, because when you   get beyond the fact that Stephen Jenkins is the guy that wrote the most overplayed song of 1997, Ursa Major is an enjoyable record.