Angels & Airwaves - I-Empire

I-Empire won’t change the musical universe by any stretch, but Delonge’s got the ship fueled, and pointing in the right direction.

If artistic merit were judged on ambition alone, Tom Delonge would be untouchable. If you believe internet banter, you would know the catalyst for juvenile punkers blink-182’s demise was Tom’s apparent boredom and lack of global aspirations his other two band mates supposedly exhibited. The first signs he was done with the immature ranting of blink? That short lived but temporarily explosive side project he dubbed Box Car Racer. Yet for all the moving and pushing he tried to do with that band, he was quick to give it up and return to blink for one last hurrah with their “mature” 2003 self-titled effort. Not only did that prove to be the last for the trio, but showed that their desire for change just did not mesh well with the band’s historically infantile history- lauded by so many then-teenagers who applied blink’s music to so many aspects of their lives. So when that album positively stunk, Delonge did the only thing he could to fulfill his needs; do whatever it takes to sink the ship. And this included refusing to go on tour, recording music by himself, and changing his phone number. The writing was, without doubt, on the wall. Blink subsequently imploded, and it did not take long for Delonge to announce his new project, the grandly titled Angels & Airwaves; followed shortly by cryptic messages of industry changing, global dominance, and an occasionally sparkling debut, We Don’t Need to Whisper.

The problem with We Don’t Need to Whisper was that while some of the songs were absolutely terrific (like the single “The Adventure”), some waned on far too long and tended to be completely bored with itself after a few minutes- as if the idea far outweighed the results. So while Delonge didn’t exactly light up the airwaves with the band’s debut, it did show a lot of promise. Far from blink’s short paced punk leanings, toilet humor, and aggressive nature (at least on their earlier material), Angels & Airwaves adopted a more progressive approach to songwriting, tearing page after page out of U2’s songbook and employed long electronic-infused introductions and interludes, and more mid-tempo arrangements creating the aura that every song sounded like it wanted to fill a stadium.

A year removed and Angels & Airwaves return with an even grander idea, an even more lofty title, and Tom’s giant head affixed clearly on the album’s cover. I-Empire as it’s so ambitiously dubbed, is a step up from We Don’t Need to Whisper, inching closer to Delonge’s almost infallible desire to influence, change, and evolve everything their music touches. And from initial listens, it seems that he’s learned a little from their debut, picking the plucky, rather jovial sounding (and shorter) “Everything’s Magic” as the album’s lead-off single. Its tap-happy percussion intro, coupled with Delonge’s “Anthem Part II” guitar sheen make it unlike most of their other songs; forgoing the usual long introductions for more to-the-point songwriting. It is easily the band’s most accessible effort to date, decidedly less Joshua Tree Bono and more U2’s PopMart. The majority of the album however, does take a similar route to the material found on their debut. Songs tend to waver through lengthy instrumental intros (“Call to Arms”), electronic tinkering (“Lifeline”), and song textures that stretch to great run times (so long at times, they had to break a song down into two; “Star of Bethlehem” and “True Love”). Yet as you traverse through all the complicated layering of the songs, it becomes clearer and clearer that Delonge and the rest of the band are becoming more comfortable with their musical surroundings. Yes, songs can still be a little boring at times (“Secret Crowds”), but they can also be a little surreal, colossal-sounding, and really quite enjoyable (the aforementioned duo “Star of Bethlehem/True Love”). They’re beginning to get the hang of wanting to sound galactic while keeping the very end of their toes on the ground.  

I’m all for ambition, and Delonge has bags and bags of it. I-Empire won’t change the musical universe by any stretch, but Delonge’s got the ship fueled, and pointing in the right direction. It won’t vanquish poverty in the deepest regions of the globe, and it won't bring an end to the world’s wars just yet ... but it’s getting there Tom, it’s getting there. In the end, I-Empire is 5-star aspiration met with 3-star success.

(Geffen Records)