The No Contest Contest

Blink 182's "Enemy of the State" vs. Telekinesis' "12 Desperate Straight Lines"

The Blink. I remembered a couple of the songs from back in the day. The album cover more so. (Pro tip: if you absent-mindedly google around wondering who that lady is on the cover, was she a famous actress or something, TAKE CARE WHICH LINKS YOU CLICK ON. She's an actress. Kinda.)

I believe I established in my initial top ten, and in the related descriptions, the fact that, in my doddering years, I have discovered, musically speaking, a Taste for the Chutzpah. That is to say, I enjoy Green Day far more than I ever would have guessed possible if you had asked me in the 90's, and I cannot bring myself to un-wish to punch Sufjan Stevens in the face no matter how hard I try. So Blink 182 should work for me -- they are gutsy and punk-infused. But it turns out that I am still a little bit more of a prissy elitist than I thought I was. The whole time I listened to the album -- I will not be giving it a second try -- I kept stacking it up unfavorably against Green Day. It seems strange to use "too simplistic" to criticize it in this context, considering both bands wield power chords like bludgeons, and yet ... too simplistic. Too -- dare I say it? -- immature. What does that even mean? I sound like a Decemberists fan. Wait ... I AM a Decemberists fan.

I'm so confused. I don't know what I like any more. But I know that it's not Blink 182.

And so on to Telekinesis. This deck was stacked: I have their other album, or should I say his other album, since it's basically one guy who hooks up with some cool talent when he goes on the road. It's not like he made my top ten, but TK is a seed in one of my favorite Pandora mixes, so I've been listening to a lot of telekinetic music lately, as it were. Love that clean sound. Stripped down, but also amped up. I have it on good authority that, in spite of being mostly a studio operation, his live shows totally rock.

I think I might actually put his first, self-titled album a hair above this one. But either way, it's an easy call as to who advances: Telekinesis all the way.