Angels & Airwaves
I-Empire
Suretone/Geffen
Angels & Airwaves take large strides away from the dick and fart jokes Tom DeLonge’s former band, Blink 182, made famous. Alongside a trio of x-members – former Box Car Racer (Delong’s pre-Blink band) bandmate David Kennedy, The Offspring’s former drummer Atom Willard and 30 Seconds To Mars’ old bassist Matt Wachter – DeLonge is shooting for the moon, or at least for the galaxies through which U2 orbit.
I-Empire is DeLonge’s second post-Blink 182 effort in just two years, and where We Don’t Need a Whisper dabbled in U2-isms (few guitarist have managed to rip off The Edge as effectively as Delong), I-Empire seems hell-bent on declaring AVA as U2’s successors. Witness songs like “Love Like Rockets,” “True Love” and “Heaven.” The vastness of these songs is epic yet upon the first listen I already feel like I’ve heard them before. They seem familiar in a comforting sort of way.
While this band has eons to travel before they are worthy of being legitimately compared to Bono and the boys, they have at least pulled way ahead of the pack.
Delong’s ego is bold, his band is ambitious, the music is way better than anyone ever thought that it would be, and in support of I-Empire Angels & Airwaves are about to set out on a major headlining tour. In the midst of all of this they’ve managed to write a few irresistible pop songs in the form of “Sirens” and “Everything’s Magic.”
Angels & Airwaves: http://www.angelsandairwaves.com
