Angels & Airwaves - I-Empire (2007)
While I did like the album before this one, "We Don't Need to Whisper", I did feel like it kinda overshoot all of its strengths and that some songs bled into the others, or even just lasted too damn long with not much happening, so that was a disappointment coming from none other than Tom DeLonge of blink-182 fame, but apparently the initial negative reception to the album must've gone to his head quicker than a speeding bullet from a hitman Mark Hoppus hired because this album is AWESOME!! This album is everything that "We Don't Need to Whisper" attempted to aim for, but this actually hits its targets right in the center!
Right before recording this album, the band had split with bassist Ryan Sinn and replaced him with Matt Wachter of Thirty Seconds to Mars, and I dunno if that lead to the quality of this album, but this entire album is a far-cry from the previous album's slow and even monotonous jams that wore its U2 influence on its sleeve, but rather, this one shows Angels & Airwaves coming into their own as an almost entirely new-sounding band. From the opening "Call to Arms" in which it almost seems like Tom DeLonge is painting a Disney-esque love story to the grandiose ending track "Heaven", this album is just awesome and even somewhat beautiful at times. It's bursting with love out of every corner into a euphoric romantic bliss without ever really getting sexual, but rather, relying on the emotions of love rather than the actions, making for a genuinely lovely, not lust-based album, and even if it weren't based in almost childlike innocence, holy shit these songs are good. "Everything's Magic" might just be one of the happiest songs I've ever heard, "Breathe" is without a doubt the most U2-influenced song on the album but is so damn good, especially when the drums start making a huge presence, and "Love Like Rockets" is nothing short of amazing with its atmosphere, three-way harmony and EVERYTHING ELSE really!
Sure, the stalker-anthem "Sirens" is creepy as shit, with the title referring to the dangerous mermaid-esque creatures from Greek mythology singing the sailors to make them steer the boat in their direction, often leading to death, but the title of the song and the lyrics make me think it's referring to police sirens instead. That's some weird shit!! Still, the album, aside from a self-reflective track "Rite of Spring" is full of pure love, that, sure, was probably written while Tom DeLonge was still on painkillers but that oddly makes the album even more genuine because he sincerely believes in every word that comes out of his mouth, for better or for worse, almost as if he's a shining beacon of love sent to earth in an attempt to irradiate the entire population in love for one another, much like the previous album attempted to do, but damn if this one isn't more interesting and CATCHY! THIS IS THE GOOD SHIT!!
The way I can best describe this album is that it's like the feeling you get when you fall in love with someone for the first time, with absolutely no sexual tension getting in the way of it. Love at its purest, life at its most innocent, and (arguably) Angels & Airwaves at their best. Phenomenal.
8/10
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