enema of the state (not to be confused with enemy...) is a cool album, although my least favourite of the three. it is very upbeat and light-hearted, and the majority of the songs are very jokey.
the links to the two previous albums can be seen through songs such as "going away to college" and "what's my age again" which are the songs i love - songs about teenagers trying to figure out the world they live in, and why it never seems to behave the way they want it to.
musically, this album is at the band's peak of refinement so far. with the addition of new drummer travis, there is a certain sophistication to their sound now which cannot be seen in the previous efforts. however, as i mentioned before, i love the raw "babyish" quality of cheshire cat, which is why i prefer that album.
the love song comes in the shape of "all the small things" which tom delonge wrote about his girlfriend jen. it is a pretty song, and very sweet. the two words "pretty" and "sweet" or "cute" are the words i would use to describe the majority of songs on this album. so, if you like cute songs, then go ahead and buy it!
adam's song, personally, holds its on in the album. the song is a suicide note, drafted by mark hoppus at some low point in his life. very poignant, i believe you have to have a certain sympathy with mark if this song is to prove meaningful to you. if you have no idea about the band as actual people, i think this song can seem fairly shallow. this is a good thing though, it gives the dedicated fan something that the new listener would not find in a song.
enema of the state
1) dumpweed
2) don't leave me
3) aliens exist
4) going away to college
5) what's my age again?
6) dysentary gary
7) adam's song
8) all the small things
9) the party song
10) mutt
11) wendy clear
12) anthem
