Drew Beringer
05/25/06, 05:38 PM
ANGELS & AIRWAVES - We Don't Need To Whisper
September 7th, 2005, is when it began. The outrageous hype, the ludicrous claims, it all began here ( http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=85700) at AbsolutePunk.net. That night, Thomas Delonge unveiled his latest and most ambitious project ever, Angels & Airwaves. Immediately, questions and speculation of the band overpopulated this site as well as other music sites. The biggest question on everybody mind was: What was this so-called “greatest rock band ever” going to sound like? Well, after waiting many months, Angels & Airwaves have released their debut album, We Don’t Need To Whisper, and needless to say, it failed to live up the gigantic hype. But don’t take that as the album being bad, it’s just that few, if any, bands could live up to the proclamations Tom made. So while Whisper does not, in any shape or form, sound like the best rock music I’ve heard the last 30 years, I enjoy this 10 track journey immensely.
The album begins with a spacey intro that leads into racing guitars that set the pace for the 6 and half minute opener, “Valkyrie Missle.” This track sets the mood of the album; it’s going to be fast, atmospheric, and aims to take the listener on an incredible journey. The first single, “The Adventure,” is one of the strongest songs and is the anthem of this album. The guitars needle their way into your brain and soar throughout while Atom Willard’s drumming keeps up the frantic pace. The highlight of the song is the bridge, Delonge emphatically proclaims, “I cannot live/I can’t breathe/unless you do this with me,” over a sound that builds and builds into the climatic finish. Following is “A Little’s Enough,” which is a slow track that is heavy on the emotions, as Delonge sings about addresses some of his views on religion. As can be heard from the first few songs of the album, AVA is either going to go big or not go at all, as they try to make each and every song as epic as they can be. For some songs, this works very well (such as the guitar-heavy and fist-pumping rocker, “The War”), but in some cases, it doesn’t work out, as heard in “It Hurts.” The song is appropriately named, because after hearing Tom obnoxiously repeat those two words over and over, you’ll wish that was one chorus he left on the drawing board. Same cane be said for the cheesy line, “Your best friend is not your girlfriend,” a lyric that’ll end up on thousands of teenage girls away messages and Myspace pages. Thankfully, AVA makes up for this error in closing with two of the stronger songs on the album. “Good Day” is an upbeat track about someone being the highlight of not just your day, but your life, while “Start The Machine” displays the potential of the band. My favorite song on the album, Tom’s voice is full of passion as the music progressively moves forward into a powerful bridge that ascends into a triumphant closing.
Musically, this album is excellent. I can honestly say that, apart from a few production glitches and minor repetition in the drumming, this is some of the best music you’ll hear in 2006. The guitars from Delonge and David Kennedy (Box Car Racer) are huge and rocket through your membrane, while the rhythm of bassist Ryan Sinn (ex-Distillers) and drummer Atom Willard (Offspring) give the album a distinctive mood. While the vocals aren’t the most appeasing, we really shouldn’t have been expected anything amazing from the former blink frontman. While the lyrics aren’t anything we’d read from Jesse Lacey’s notebook, and the repetition of choruses grind on you, they still fit the overall disposition of the album. While I’ll blame Tom for bringing down the songs with average vocals and simple lyrics, I’ll also praise him for how well he produced this album. In most cases, production like this would turn some albums into a mess, but with the huge arena sound AVA is gunning for, his production fits perfectly.
Don’t let my final score of We Don’t Need To Whisper fool you, I absolutely adore this album. I love the music and the meaning behind the songs, and the ambition set forth by Angels & Airwaves is admirable. This album gets better with every listen, and I think that after you've listened to it a few times, it develops great staying power. Even though the lyrics and vocals bring the album down, the music shouldn't be overlooked and the structure of each track is great. We Don’t Need To Whisper shows a lot of promise throughout the album, and their great songs really outshine the average songs, leading me to believe that this album is only a rough draft, and that great things lie ahead of Angels & Airwaves.
Tracklisting:
1. Valkyrie Missle
2. Distraction
3. Do It For Me Now
4. The Adventure
5. A Little's Enough
6. The War
7. The Gift
8. It Hurts
9. Good Day
10. Start The Machine
Produced by Tom Delonge
Angels & Airwaves are:
Tom Delonge - vocals, guitar
David Kennedy - guitar
Ryan Sinn - bass
Atom Willard - drums
Release Date: May 23, 2006
Record Label: Suretone (http://www.suretone.com)/Geffen (http://www.geffen.com)
Official Website (http://www.angelsandairwaves.com); Official Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/angelsandairwaves)
September 7th, 2005, is when it began. The outrageous hype, the ludicrous claims, it all began here ( http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=85700) at AbsolutePunk.net. That night, Thomas Delonge unveiled his latest and most ambitious project ever, Angels & Airwaves. Immediately, questions and speculation of the band overpopulated this site as well as other music sites. The biggest question on everybody mind was: What was this so-called “greatest rock band ever” going to sound like? Well, after waiting many months, Angels & Airwaves have released their debut album, We Don’t Need To Whisper, and needless to say, it failed to live up the gigantic hype. But don’t take that as the album being bad, it’s just that few, if any, bands could live up to the proclamations Tom made. So while Whisper does not, in any shape or form, sound like the best rock music I’ve heard the last 30 years, I enjoy this 10 track journey immensely.
The album begins with a spacey intro that leads into racing guitars that set the pace for the 6 and half minute opener, “Valkyrie Missle.” This track sets the mood of the album; it’s going to be fast, atmospheric, and aims to take the listener on an incredible journey. The first single, “The Adventure,” is one of the strongest songs and is the anthem of this album. The guitars needle their way into your brain and soar throughout while Atom Willard’s drumming keeps up the frantic pace. The highlight of the song is the bridge, Delonge emphatically proclaims, “I cannot live/I can’t breathe/unless you do this with me,” over a sound that builds and builds into the climatic finish. Following is “A Little’s Enough,” which is a slow track that is heavy on the emotions, as Delonge sings about addresses some of his views on religion. As can be heard from the first few songs of the album, AVA is either going to go big or not go at all, as they try to make each and every song as epic as they can be. For some songs, this works very well (such as the guitar-heavy and fist-pumping rocker, “The War”), but in some cases, it doesn’t work out, as heard in “It Hurts.” The song is appropriately named, because after hearing Tom obnoxiously repeat those two words over and over, you’ll wish that was one chorus he left on the drawing board. Same cane be said for the cheesy line, “Your best friend is not your girlfriend,” a lyric that’ll end up on thousands of teenage girls away messages and Myspace pages. Thankfully, AVA makes up for this error in closing with two of the stronger songs on the album. “Good Day” is an upbeat track about someone being the highlight of not just your day, but your life, while “Start The Machine” displays the potential of the band. My favorite song on the album, Tom’s voice is full of passion as the music progressively moves forward into a powerful bridge that ascends into a triumphant closing.
Musically, this album is excellent. I can honestly say that, apart from a few production glitches and minor repetition in the drumming, this is some of the best music you’ll hear in 2006. The guitars from Delonge and David Kennedy (Box Car Racer) are huge and rocket through your membrane, while the rhythm of bassist Ryan Sinn (ex-Distillers) and drummer Atom Willard (Offspring) give the album a distinctive mood. While the vocals aren’t the most appeasing, we really shouldn’t have been expected anything amazing from the former blink frontman. While the lyrics aren’t anything we’d read from Jesse Lacey’s notebook, and the repetition of choruses grind on you, they still fit the overall disposition of the album. While I’ll blame Tom for bringing down the songs with average vocals and simple lyrics, I’ll also praise him for how well he produced this album. In most cases, production like this would turn some albums into a mess, but with the huge arena sound AVA is gunning for, his production fits perfectly.
Don’t let my final score of We Don’t Need To Whisper fool you, I absolutely adore this album. I love the music and the meaning behind the songs, and the ambition set forth by Angels & Airwaves is admirable. This album gets better with every listen, and I think that after you've listened to it a few times, it develops great staying power. Even though the lyrics and vocals bring the album down, the music shouldn't be overlooked and the structure of each track is great. We Don’t Need To Whisper shows a lot of promise throughout the album, and their great songs really outshine the average songs, leading me to believe that this album is only a rough draft, and that great things lie ahead of Angels & Airwaves.
Tracklisting:
1. Valkyrie Missle
2. Distraction
3. Do It For Me Now
4. The Adventure
5. A Little's Enough
6. The War
7. The Gift
8. It Hurts
9. Good Day
10. Start The Machine
Produced by Tom Delonge
Angels & Airwaves are:
Tom Delonge - vocals, guitar
David Kennedy - guitar
Ryan Sinn - bass
Atom Willard - drums
Release Date: May 23, 2006
Record Label: Suretone (http://www.suretone.com)/Geffen (http://www.geffen.com)
Official Website (http://www.angelsandairwaves.com); Official Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/angelsandairwaves)