jtresk26
07/21/09, 09:22 PM
Angels and Airwaves - We Don't Need to Whisper
Record Label: Geffen (Suretone)
Release Date: May 23rd, 2006 (U.S. release date)
On April 11, 2005, Tom Delonge, guitarist and singer of the now reunited trio Blink-182, started the post-Blink hiatus project named Angels and Airwaves. Well, the songs didn't exactly start then, as the songs that were planned to be used on a new Blink album served as a base for the songs that developed into We Don't Need to Whisper.(As of this review post, a sixth Blink-182 album is currently being planned and production of the album will start after the Blink-182 reunion tour.) David Kennedy, former guitarist of Box Car Racer, another Tom Delonge project, Atom Willard, former drummer of Rocket From the Crypt and The Offspring and ex-member Ryan Sinn, former bassist of The Distillers, joined Delonge in creating sound many bands of the present didn't have and achieved just that.
"Valkyrie Missile," the first track of the album, has a lengthy intro, something the band does quite a lot on the album, as well of their follow-up, I-Empire. The intro is filled with back-and-forth dialogue during a distinctive bass intro and it proves to be a very good introduction of the album and what is to come. "Distraction" is an interesting song that mixes an anti-war message with elements of finding love. The song is another lengthy intro, but once the listener gets through it, it gives a big payoff as it is one of the best songs, lyrically and production-wise. "The Adventure," the first single of the song, is the anthem Angels and Airwaves were looking for. A personal favorite of mine, the song fuses a plethora of sounds, such as everyday objects like tools falling from a toolbox, into the song, as well as synth tracks that blend all together into the masterpiece of the album. "The War" is yet another anti-war song, with references to events that occured in WWII. Delonge has stated in interviews that he used war imagery throughout the album, as it served as a template from what he experienced with Blink-182 before the hiatus set in. "It Hurts," the second single from the album, is a song that drags on lyrically, but musically could be one of the best songs on the album. Repeated lyrics are present throughout the song, but blends the Angels and Airwaves sound and crunchy guitars in the memorable bridge. "Good Day" is a song about how you can go through all the worst experiences in your life, but at the end of the day, you look at the positives of your life and what is going good for you. "Start the Machine," the last track of the album, has maybe the most controversy around it, lyrically. Delonge has stated that the song is about the end of Blink-182, and it is clearly evident throughout the song. References to "screams of kids and ran into shelter" and "I left some words quite far from here to be a short reminder" can be interpreted as the past work that Delonge has done with Blink-182. Controversy aside, the song shows the music Angels and Airwaves can make and how it can progress on future albums.
Techincally, the album production is stellar for a self-produced album, as the album was produced by Delonge. Using everyday sounds and using it not to overpower the song, but blend it into a wonderful masterpiece (i.e. "The Adventure") is a great tool that was used on a couple more songs on the album (Powerful stomps on "Distraction," files cabinets shutting on "The War" are a couple of more examples of great use of everyday things on the album). Lyrically, some songs pose as a great inspiration for artists who want to inspire their listeners that they can do anything, but some song fall flat, like with "It Hurts." I have personally seen criticism on Delonge for abandoning the sound he established with Blink-182, but I applaud him. The sound he achieved with Angels and Airwaves is something no one has heard before in a long time or even at all. The band is obviously not trying to compete with sounds that were already established and they wanted to find something different that fuses all these things together. Vocals on the album are good, but they vary too much between songs and sometimes don't even fit in the mood of the songs.
We Don't Need to Whisper is an album that definitely was one of the most awaited album back in 2006, and obviously it's not the best album in the past 20 years, or whatever Delonge said way back when news broke out about the project, but is a very solid debut, and maybe it should have contended for best new artist for a Grammy. Angels and Airwaves achieved what they wanted to establish with the album, to challenge listeners on how they can affect their lives for the better and what they can do for the people around them, a very positive message that hasn't been conveyed through a band in a long time.
U2, Blink-182, The Cure
Check out Angels and Airwaves on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/angelsandairwaves).
Record Label: Geffen (Suretone)
Release Date: May 23rd, 2006 (U.S. release date)
On April 11, 2005, Tom Delonge, guitarist and singer of the now reunited trio Blink-182, started the post-Blink hiatus project named Angels and Airwaves. Well, the songs didn't exactly start then, as the songs that were planned to be used on a new Blink album served as a base for the songs that developed into We Don't Need to Whisper.(As of this review post, a sixth Blink-182 album is currently being planned and production of the album will start after the Blink-182 reunion tour.) David Kennedy, former guitarist of Box Car Racer, another Tom Delonge project, Atom Willard, former drummer of Rocket From the Crypt and The Offspring and ex-member Ryan Sinn, former bassist of The Distillers, joined Delonge in creating sound many bands of the present didn't have and achieved just that.
"Valkyrie Missile," the first track of the album, has a lengthy intro, something the band does quite a lot on the album, as well of their follow-up, I-Empire. The intro is filled with back-and-forth dialogue during a distinctive bass intro and it proves to be a very good introduction of the album and what is to come. "Distraction" is an interesting song that mixes an anti-war message with elements of finding love. The song is another lengthy intro, but once the listener gets through it, it gives a big payoff as it is one of the best songs, lyrically and production-wise. "The Adventure," the first single of the song, is the anthem Angels and Airwaves were looking for. A personal favorite of mine, the song fuses a plethora of sounds, such as everyday objects like tools falling from a toolbox, into the song, as well as synth tracks that blend all together into the masterpiece of the album. "The War" is yet another anti-war song, with references to events that occured in WWII. Delonge has stated in interviews that he used war imagery throughout the album, as it served as a template from what he experienced with Blink-182 before the hiatus set in. "It Hurts," the second single from the album, is a song that drags on lyrically, but musically could be one of the best songs on the album. Repeated lyrics are present throughout the song, but blends the Angels and Airwaves sound and crunchy guitars in the memorable bridge. "Good Day" is a song about how you can go through all the worst experiences in your life, but at the end of the day, you look at the positives of your life and what is going good for you. "Start the Machine," the last track of the album, has maybe the most controversy around it, lyrically. Delonge has stated that the song is about the end of Blink-182, and it is clearly evident throughout the song. References to "screams of kids and ran into shelter" and "I left some words quite far from here to be a short reminder" can be interpreted as the past work that Delonge has done with Blink-182. Controversy aside, the song shows the music Angels and Airwaves can make and how it can progress on future albums.
Techincally, the album production is stellar for a self-produced album, as the album was produced by Delonge. Using everyday sounds and using it not to overpower the song, but blend it into a wonderful masterpiece (i.e. "The Adventure") is a great tool that was used on a couple more songs on the album (Powerful stomps on "Distraction," files cabinets shutting on "The War" are a couple of more examples of great use of everyday things on the album). Lyrically, some songs pose as a great inspiration for artists who want to inspire their listeners that they can do anything, but some song fall flat, like with "It Hurts." I have personally seen criticism on Delonge for abandoning the sound he established with Blink-182, but I applaud him. The sound he achieved with Angels and Airwaves is something no one has heard before in a long time or even at all. The band is obviously not trying to compete with sounds that were already established and they wanted to find something different that fuses all these things together. Vocals on the album are good, but they vary too much between songs and sometimes don't even fit in the mood of the songs.
We Don't Need to Whisper is an album that definitely was one of the most awaited album back in 2006, and obviously it's not the best album in the past 20 years, or whatever Delonge said way back when news broke out about the project, but is a very solid debut, and maybe it should have contended for best new artist for a Grammy. Angels and Airwaves achieved what they wanted to establish with the album, to challenge listeners on how they can affect their lives for the better and what they can do for the people around them, a very positive message that hasn't been conveyed through a band in a long time.
U2, Blink-182, The Cure
Check out Angels and Airwaves on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/angelsandairwaves).