If an album can sound like a time and a place, 1997 gave us Third Eye Blind’s self-titled debut. As for the time, if you distilled the elements of nineties alternative rock into a bottle, it would be Third Eye Blind coming in at around 151 proof. Great sounding guitars, edgy lyrics that were just clean enough for radio play, and a collection of heartbreaks that sound so good. As for the place, Third Eye Blind always seemed like a college album to me, sucking the marrow out of life and dealing with an uncertain future while living palpable moments almost every day.

Speaking of radio play, there was a lot of it, the debut reached #25 on the Billboard charts and has sold more than six million copies in the U.S. I heard the singles when they came out listening to 103.3 out of Ft. Wayne and later bought the CD in high school. When I hear “Semi-Charmed Life” now, the pop hit that it was, I am perplexed at the fact that it was on the radio. Sure they edited out, “crystal-meth” long before the TV series Breaking Bad made it popular, but nevertheless risqué to be sure.

Songwriting partners Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadigan have a way of putting gut wrenching lyrics to the happiest of guitar sounds. “Jumper” opens with no hesitation to the theme of suicide in an attempt to save a friend from ending it all. “We could cut ties with all the lies you’ve been living in, and if you do not want to see me again, I would understand.” The empathetic verses build to a crescendo finish that starts from a bass backed introduction of the lead guitar and builds to a joyful scream of, “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” Put the past away, but not the part of your mind where this song lives.

Other highlights from the record include “How’s it Going to Be” with its hauntingly beautiful lead guitar dotting the final thoughts of a failed relationship. “Losing a Whole Year” similarly opens the album with an energetic recounting of love gone wrong, “I remember you and me used to spend the whole goddamn day in bed.” Where did it go wrong? “London” rides the driving guitar backing to tell us of yet another failed relationship, this one of the long distance variety. Fan favorite, “Motorcycle Drive By” builds and builds a lyrical tapestry of yet another heartache.

I’ve got a couple years until I turn 40 and square, and in my experience people my age congregate around this album like a bug light. Many a late night, ‘pass the iPod’ playlist included the singles from this album and it was often promptly followed by praise for the album as a whole. The frequent positivity would come from someone you didn’t know listened to Third Eye Blind like that, and a conversation would start. That was way back when we had conversations that you couldn’t re-tweet.