Third Eye Blind, the San Francisco band that hit the rock scene big in 1997 with their platinum-selling self-titled debut, is back with their third CD, "Out of the Vein." Third Eye Blind consists of members Stephan Jenkins (vocals, guitar), Arion Salazar (bass, guitar, vocals), Tony Fredianelli (guitar, vocals) and Brad Hargreaves (drums, percussion). The first track, "Faster" begins with pulsing guitars. The sound becomes heavier with the drum backbeats in the chorus as Jenkins sings angrily, "I want to get off one time and not apologize," criticizing a girl for moving on without him. One of the best songs off the CD "Blinded," another song about a lost relationship, also has an upbeat guitar rhythm. The steady beat is complemented by Jenkin?s' strong voice. His words come fast, but he is clear and melodic. He also displays his vocal range when he hits some high notes in this song. "Forget Myself" is a slightly mellower song. The rhythm is slower and the guitar beats aren't as sharp or pronounced. While it has a catchy beat, the chorus gets a little annoying when Jenkins continually repeats the words "And I keep on forgetting myself." It's not nearly as bad, however, as most mainstream rap songs with nothing more than a chorus and some indecipherable made-up lingo. Containing some solid lyrics, there are several interesting lines in this song, such as "Phone call rings and your voice is desire/Then winter moves into summer fires."

"Danger" is another good upbeat song. Posessing strong instrumentals, the song describes someone who is rebellious. He portrays her as having a taste for danger, "Vandals laced and braced for action/no sense, no consequence. "Crystal Baller," another notable song, has slow but powerful guitar rhythms. Jenkins' voice, which sometimes moves towards more of a speaking than singing style in some of his songs that are heavily laden with fast paced lyrics, is much more melodic in this song.

"Hit and Run" starts off slow but gets faster at the chorus. This song also contains more complicated guitar chords. The main lyrics are complimented by the pulsing backbeat of the bass.

"Misfits" has a much different sound than most of the other songs on the album. It has a more melancholy, darker beat, and is heavier on the bass and drums. Jenkins sings a little softer, although his voice gains more conviction on the chorus as he proclaims, "Those are the ones for me/The misfits, the freaks, the enemy, you and me."

"Cant Get Away," another more melodic song, has a dreamy, longing sound to it. While the rhythm is fast, the guitar is softer and more mellow. Jenkins' voice is also more subdued. Jenkins sings about being haunted by thoughts of a past relationship, "Sense the memories of your ghost/I can't get away from you."

"Wake For Young Souls" has a very pop, friendly beat. Despite the somewhat upbeat sound, the lyrics are also lamenting a loss. This time the lament is not for a relationship but for the loss of oneself, the loss of childhood innocence. Although the lyrics are somewhat clichae, it is still a good song.

Surprise, surprise for a change of pace the 10th track is another sad relationship song. In "Palm Reader" the guitars start out sad, but then get louder and angrier with the desperate but determinedly hopeful chorus :"Believe in me and this lie/tell me everything will be all right/cause it's so good to believe/but don't turn my hope into a weapon."

"Self-righteous" starts off with a woman singing softly, with Jenkins joining her in an equally soothing manner. The song is very mellow and has barely any instrumental back-up. The woman is more whiny than talented and is an unnecessary addition to the track. Also, it is too long of a song; at six minutes it becomes painful to listen to halfway through.

There is a shocking transition into the next track, "Company," which is not mellow at all, but rather loud and angry about living a depressive and destructive life. The song would be good except for the fact that Jenkins spends more time shouting than singing.

The last song, "Good Man," is also long at nine minutes. This is another relationship song, but this time instead of blaming the girl, he blames himself for not being a good enough man, pleading for forgiveness. Judging by the lyrical content, it seems as if this CD was inspired by some really bad relationships had by the lead singer. Although his relationships may have turned out badly, his experiences spawned an overall solid album. It is not the best of Third Eye Blind, but it definitely lives up to the standards set by previous albums. The only negative aspect is almost all of the songs center on the same subject: poorly ended relationships.