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Third Eye Blind’s Ursa Major recalls the California-cool of their late-‘90s hit singles that first brought them to prominence, but this comeback album is only sporadically effective. Led by frontman Stephan Jenkins, 3EB are up to their usual tricks, marrying guitar-driven pop melodies to occasionally self-consciously clever lyrics, but Ursa Major never quite achieves the highs of the band’s earlier efforts.


Nonetheless, their loyal fans will undoubtedly be happy to have them back – those just hoping for another “Semi-Charmed Life” or “Never Let You Go,” however, will be disappointed.

Pleasant Background Music

Third Eye Blind haven’t released a studio full-length since 2003’s mediocre Out of the Vein, crippled by personnel changes and a lack of focus. The group started regaining momentum in 2008 with their Red Star EP, which led to hopes that their next album could help right the ship commercially and creatively. And while Ursa Major makes for pleasant background listening, a band that lives on its ability to write tasty radio-worthy hits has to produce the goods on a consistent basis. In this regard, Ursa Major disappoints – several songs will make you hum along, but the lack of indisputably great tunes is a real problem. Even after multiple spins, the album rarely asserts itself in a meaningful way, its diverting melodies a little too easy to shake off.

Wordplay That Sometimes Gets in the Way

As a songwriter, Jenkins has always enjoyed flaunting his smarts – after all, he was valedictorian of his class at Berkeley – but his lyrics have sometimes been too precocious for their own good. Even on Third Eye Blind’s breakthrough hit, “Semi-Charmed Life,” a deceptively upbeat song, Jenkins snuck in references to crystal meth, oral sex and a potentially unhealthy romantic relationship. Jenkins again includes an oral sex joke on one of Ursa Major’s best songs, “Why Can’t You Be,” which also works in shout-outs to author J.D. Salinger and the 1950s French film The Red Balloon (or maybe he’s referring to the 2008 homage Flight of the Red Balloon). Over the course of the album, this cleverness can be hit-and-miss – on a generic soft-then-loud song like “About to Break,” Jenkins manages to make the track more interesting with his ruminations about a society losing its way, but even good songs like “Sharp Knife” can be undone by lines such as “My MP3 is out of juice/I wrote a song for you but what’s the use?” The argument could be made that most listeners don’t notice lyrics – especially initially, it’s the music that matters – but sometimes it’s tempting to conclude that Jenkins has focused more time on Ursa Major’s wordplay than on its hooks.

'Ursa Major' Recalls Past Glories ... and Hints at Glories to Come?

Again and again on Ursa Major, Third Eye Blind have crafted songs that seem to have the potential to be keepers, but the tunes fail to rise to that next level. Ursa Major is populated with tuneful mid-tempo songs that are rich in atmosphere, but you keep waiting for a real killer moment. “Bonfire” has a mildly island-centric groove, while “Dao of St. Paul” is one of several songs that feels derivative of “How’s It Going to Be,” the band’s distinctive 1998 relationship ballad. There’s a gentle, reflective spirit to much of Ursa Major, as if Third Eye Blind (like their fans) are enjoying their return to the limelight and soaking in memories of yesteryear. Perhaps Ursa Major will end up representing a tentative first step toward a more confident Third Eye Blind in the near future. Only time will tell, but for now, Third Eye Blind are back ... but certainly not better than ever.

'Ursa Major' – Best Tracks:

“Why Can’t You Be” (Purchase/Download)
“Can You Take Me” (Purchase/Download)
“Monotov’s Private Opera” (Purchase/Download)
“Water Landing” (Purchase/Download)
“Sharp Knife” (Purchase/Download)

Release date – August 18, 2009
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