Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

I keep my alarm clock/radio on the local "modern rock" station (terrible website, BTW), because I need something so wretched in the morning that I'll jump up to turn it off and make it stop - and not only do they play horrid music, they run that obnoxious Mancow in the a.m. So this morning, my alarm goes off at 6:50 like usual, but I actually laid in bed with my ears perked, in the hopes that they'd ID whatever song was playing. All I knew was its melodic sensibility, and that it was kinda loud, but in a good way. To my shock and awe, it was the new Blink-182 single, "Feeling This." It's got their traditionally aggressive drumming and basswork, but also their not-always-traditional dual lead vocals (one singing the chorus, one kinda yelling the verses). They've always, I'll grudgingly admit, had a flair for melodic pop-punk, but it really seems to be at the fore in "Feeling This." It's not made me a sudden fan, and I certainly won't be running out to buy their new self-titled album, but it's a refreshing surprise, and gives me a bit more respect for the Blink boys.