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Angels & Airwaves 'I-Empire'
better than its predecessor, but not as good as hyped
By Jon Jacobs
November 9, 2007 | When former Blink-182 guitarist
Tom Delonge announced in 2005 that he and his new band
Angels & Airwaves were creating "the best rock record
of the last 20 years," skepticism was understandably
high. Delonge, claiming to take inspiration from such
groundbreaking groups such as Pink Floyd, The Cure and
U2, seemed ready to try to conquer the world through
his music.
As can be expected, his claims weren't quite validated
with the release of Angels & Airwaves' debut 2006 release
We Don't Need to Whisper. The album was overly
synth-heavy, based upon near plagiaristic renditions
of U2 songs, with an overbearingly uplifting subject
matter making for a difficult listen.
However, the album did have its strong points: It certainly
showcased the strongest collection of songs Delonge
had written to date, and the increase in maturity and
direction were a welcome change to the juvenile nature
of his work with Blink-182.
If the lower than expected sales and reception of
the album affected Delonge, he didn't seem to show it.
Angels toured endlessly in support of the album, making
two world tours, all the while writing and recording
material for a second record. In early 2007, Delonge
announced that his band was nearing the finish to its
second album, I-Empire, which would act as
a second half to the story behind Whisper,
and that it was to be 10 times what Whisper
was meant to be.
Understandably, the overly boisterous claims make
for an easy letdown with Empire, but the album
is a generous collection, picking up precisely where
Whisper left off. The album's opener, Call
to Arms, showcases some of Delonge's most accessible
guitar work and vocal arrangements, resulting from the
swelling, epic buildup that is transferred seamlessly
into one of the album's most energetic tracks.
The album shifts direction with the stripped down,
Phil Collins-inspired Breathe, a slowed down,
and emotionally intimate portrayal of absolute adoration.
Even with its repetitious lyrics, the song drifts effortlessly
into a spacey ballad of genuine ingenuity. Delonge's
positivity and sonic aesthetics are in contagious epiphany
with the dissentious love song.
Unlike its predecessor, Empire doesn't feel
pretentious and redundant, instead using motif to create
a feeling of familiarity instead of hastily approaching
self-plagiarism. However, like Whisper the
album has a propensity to meander a little too often.
Tracks such as Love Like Rockets and True
Love are enjoyable, but instantly forgettable,
where Rite of Spring and Everything's Magic
are catchy but about as emotionally and mentally
defunct as modern music gets.
In terms of lyricism, the album is a compendium of
confusion. Some songs feature full anthemetic choruses,
projecting feelings of change and positivity in aural
artistry, while others exhibit juvenile exclamations
of autobiographical history. The spacey, U2-inspired
Lifeline subtly exudes an earnest and honest
admition of imperfection, whispering in solemn prudence:
"We all make mistakes, here's your lifeline. If you
want to, I want to."
In contrast, the poppy Rite of Spring showcases
an exceptional lack of Delonge's inabilities as a wordsmith,
saying: "It took an hour to start a punk rock band,
to offset my f***ed up family land." It seems as if
Delonge is unsure of whether he is trying to change
your life or simply propel entertaining, semi-cogent
rhymes in your direction.
The chief problem with Empire isn't that
it completely lacking in solid, structured music; it
isn't. But rather that the album tries, and exceptionally
hard, to be a second half to an album that was only
about half decent to begin with. And as a result, about
half of Empire entertains with the promise of earth-shattering
sounds capes, but never finds its destination. Leaving
the listener waiting for the moment when the music sends
them on the journey Angels and Airwaves have the potential
to embark upon.
I-Empire is not a masterpiece, but it does
contain some of Delonge's most secure and promising
work. When the album works, it works exceptionally well,
but unfortunately it only does so about half of the
time. Too often the tracks seem to blur together without
leaving a lasting impression, making the album sound
like a half-hearted opus rather than a second half to
a spacey rock-opera as was designed.
Delonge's abilities in songwriting have improved,
but he won't change the world until he learns to edit
his own unfocused ambitions.
MS
MS
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