The Past Is Gone But Something Might Be Found To Take Its Place

Gin Blossoms are back - again! This time, they're not only touring, but also releasing a new studio album. Major Lodge Victory comes out August 8. You can listen to the new single Learning the Hard Way here or here. Sounds ok. A bit tame and mellow for a comeback tune. I prefer Gin Blossoms in their Hey Jealousy mode, not their As Long As It Matters mode. But, I suppose most of their hits were of the mellow variety so that's what they're going with.

It seems that Gin Blossoms are often bunched up with Toad the Wet Sprocket when the cool kids talk about bands they think are lame. I suppose it goes back to when the two toured together. They also hit big around the same time and probably shared a lot of fans. I think the comparison is wrong, though. I consider Gin Blossoms to be a great, simple bar band that had one terrific album (the awesome, booze-soaked New Miserable Experience) and a mediocre second album. I'll concede that to some they're a power pop band, but I think that's a bit off too. From the sound of their new single, I don't think they'll earn any new fans. Toad, on the other end, has quite a bit more depth and timelessness and is definitely not a power pop band. I would argue much stronger for Toad's lack of lameness than I would for Gin Blossoms'. I'll get around to buying the new Gin Blossoms, but if Toad ever releases another studio album, I'll buy the deluxe version two months in advance.

This all comes to mind because stereogum had a recent post that debated Toad. Looks like the cool kids still think Toad is cool. Ok, so I'm not one of the cool kids, but I thought I'd throw my opinion in the mix anyway.