Reviews > Angels And Airwaves
Angels & Airwaves Want To Be Your Space-Emo Valentines
By Johnny Firecloud
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Angels & Airwaves‘ third studio album Love was made available this weekend, half of a music/film multimedia experience that the band has been hyping as the second coming of musical Christ for as long as one can recall. Does it live up to the hype? If you’re a teenage virgin who’s had her heart broken, yes. Otherwise, well…
With two successful albums under their belts, it’s safe to say that Angels & Airwaves have established themselves as more than a Blink-182 side project, but there’s no avoiding the comparisons once frontman Tom DeLonge opens his mouth on tape. His AVA delivery sounds like that of a class-clown jokester who’s realized that everyone’s laughing at him and not with him, and is trying his damnedest to put forth some substance of heart before we collectively pull the shades of giving a damn. It’s worked, to a degree, but as Blink’s recent reunion will confirm, the douchey prankster role is much more lucrative.
Of Love, DeLonge said, “It is the biggest release of my life, the pinnacle of my creativity. It’s super conceptual and highbrow in many ways, very artistic, very Stanley Kubrick, but it’s not a rock opera. It’s a very modern version of what could happen when you blend the film industry and the music industry together in a very, very arty, kind of cool way with professionals involved all along the path.”
Yeah, that’s a self-fellating load of horseshit, and those kinds of descriptions are usually used for overproduced, self-important mediocrity. Thankfully, the album is better than that. A little bit, anyway. But all the same, such hyperbolic back-patting of self fully entitles those tasked with reviewing the album to not mince words.
After a two and a half minute instrumental intro that sounds like U2’s The Edge orbiting the moon, Love kicks into gear with Flight Of The Apollo, a powerful dose of “you can get through this” with slight Box Car Racer influences and symphonic synths battling for airtime with the sounds of spaceships taking off.
Young London begins with a rising, envigorating sound that would be so much better if Tom screamed “You’ve been…THUNDAASTRUUUUCK!” where it was due. The intro is awesome, but the AC/DC ripoff is loud and clear. Unfortunately, the song stalls in second gear and never goes anywhere. The best part is the final minute or so, where the drums play a steady beat and the guitar chimes around with harmonics and echoes. In other words, not the song at all.
Largely, that’s the problem with the entire album. The guys seem to have gotten very excited about some riffs and the new spaceship sounds bank they found in Pro Tools, and built an album around a higher concept (love, of course) that everyone could universally relate to. An overdose of interludes and lengthy, melodramatic intros will keep most of this off the radio stations, but I suppose there’s something to be said for the fact that the album was made entirely independently.
Shove is a solid example of AVA’s attempts to break from their own formula, as single-worthy as Hallucinations, which is possibly the best song on the album. Mark Hoppus’ remix of the track, available with a donation to the band, is a noisy abomination that just makes no sense. The Moon-Atomic (Fragments And Fictions) is another strong contender, DeLonge singing “We are all that we are / So terribly sorry,” a sarcastic, anthemic anti-war pop-rock equivalent of Pearl Jam’s Insignificance. There’s a distinct Depeche Mode element to the outro, which stands unnecessarily alone but wins the track points in hindsight.
By contrast, Epic Holiday is rife with weak, cheesy lyrics and a guitar riff that’s pulled directly from Everything’s Magic from 2007’s I-Empire, which would never have existed without U2’s guitarist doing it first. And is it me, or is Mr. DeLonge recycling melodies from AVA’s previous two records?
If the band had a different singer, perhaps someone who could actually sing with range instead of the exact same inflections from song to song, they would stand a much greater chance of winning fans over organically. It’s to the point where we’re thankful for the odd “Yeeaah-Oooh”‘ action in Soul Survivor, simply because it’s different. I found myself appreciating the hell out of the jittery, minimal minute-plus intro to Some Origins Of Fire, but once the actual song kicked in the formula took over and my ears longed for something else.
For all their declarations that this is the pinnacle of their work as a band, this is what they want to be remembered for, it could be so much better with a little less effort to capture the dreamy space romance in a bottle and a little more energy put into sound variation. This is not the sound of falling in love, this is the sound of a band planning for years and doing their very best to be your Valentine’s Day soundtrack with slick, warm production and spaceship sounds.
The band’s certainly not going to win many new fans with this album, though an exception might be made for the latter-day Muse / 30 Seconds To Mars crossover audience. It’s a good album if you’re looking to get innocently romantic while driving fast, but it’s far from a masterpiece.
Angels & Airwaves’ Love can be streamed on their MySpace and downloaded off Fuel.tv now.
- 1. Et Ducit Mundum Per Luce
- 2. The Flight Of Apollo
- 3. Young London
- 4. Shove
- 5. Epic Holiday
- 6. Hallucinations
- 7. The Moon-Atomic (…Fragments And Fictions)
- 8. Clever Love
- 9. Soul Survivor (…2012)
- 10. Letters To God, Part II
- 11. Some Origins Of Fire
mmmm…..I’d say FUCK YOU. THIS IS THE BEST MATERIAL I’VE EVER HEARD SINCE SGT. PEPPER’S BY THE BEATLES. IT IS CLEAR TO SEE THAT WHOEVER WROTE THIS “REVIEW” KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT MUSIC. AND YES. I LOVE CAPS. FUCKING ASSHOLE.
hahaha beautiful.
Johnny Firecloud you are a world class douche :)
Did Tom break ur heart or something? U seem to be really pissed off at him…
“There’s a distinct Depeche Mode element to the outro.”
Oh my God, I didn’t think anyone else realized that. That got me excited, since they’re my favorite band.
Not a bad album. Liking Soul Survivor, Young London, and Flight of Apollo the most.
Hey Johnny, this was the best fucking album ever made, you’re just a douche who is jealous of what Tom has done with his music,this album will bring loads of new fans to AVA, your career is probably going to go on a huge decline after this so you can wipe AVA’s ass on the way down.
So id have to say fuck you because this is an AMAZING album!!!
You suck dude, Love is soooo good and amazing and beautiful and awesome and epic so fuck you!!!
You’re fucking retarded. This album is Delonge’s best work by a longshot and possibly the best album I’ve ever heard. Give it a true listen and take the friggin dumbass blinders off.
wow. there’s a lot of angry angles and airwaves fans out there. for some reason I have a feeling that you’re all just one person who has a bunch of different screen names. I can’t prove this, but all these posts are written with the same angry, whiney, incredibly defensive voice. I haven’t heard the album and I’m not planning to hear it anytime soon, and this is because I know that Tom Delonge is a self-righteous asshole who can write terribly long-winded and self-important music with styles that he steals from other artists. He’s written some okay stuff in the past, but hey, that’s just my opinion.
you guys need to settle down a little bit and understand that someone is going to have a different opinion than you when it comes to music. He gave the album 3 out of 5 stars for fucks sake. that’s more than I would have given the past 2 AVA albums put together.
so josh, by telling johnny to wipe ava’s ass (asses?) on “the way down,” you’re saying that he’s currently somehow above them. just wanted to make sure you realize that.
Nope, not all one person, but certainly from the same couple AVA & Blink messasge boards. I love being able to check where these imbeciles are originating from. Keep it coming guys! This “best album ever” stuff is bound to sway me if you all hold your ears and scream loud enough. McKee nailed it, start to finish, but honestly, I was far nicer about the album than I could’ve been.
Sounds like somebody’s got some pretty high hopes. Apparently AVA’s marketing worked well on you given your level of expectations for this album. If you were hoping a band’s 3rd album was going to be more groundbreaking than everything by U2, Zep, The Beatles, etc. combined then I think you’re probably going to be disappointed regardless. Now lets talk about the points you missed, how about the details of the production value of LOVE. Go buy a better set of speakers than your BOSE laptop setup and listen to the album on a set of Grado Lab headphones, then come back to me with an argument. Until then, enjoy the disappointment!
“Tom Delonge is a self-righteous asshole who can write terribly long-winded and self-important music with styles that he steals from other artists.”
Isn’t that the case with 90% of musicians? Anyway. The school-girl in me can’t get her scrappy little fingers on this album fast enough. Why the fuck does my iPod have to update it’s library!? Just PLAY THE FUCKING ALBUM!!
All I can say is good thing they didn’t let ME review this album. Because then I MIGHT actually have to look at it truthfully in criticism. OR I would give it 5 out of 5 and say it’s the best.
First song has started and I can already tell you I hate these long ass intros…fuck. Take a cue from the Beatles: Start too late and end it too early.
oh karl, quit pretending to know what you’re talking about, it embarrasses all of us. i’ve spent a life’s savings on my pro tools studio, and the production isn’t that good. certainly not enough to distract from the weaknesses of the actual songs, which are the most important thing anyway. and are you really talking about needing grado cans to properly appreciate the fidelity of <200kbps mp3s? come in out of the rain, boy.
i can say i was never expecting something so groundbreaking and new, i find it a fantastic album with some creative writing and some inspiring lyrics. Granted Toms voice can get very same and annoy plenty of others but there are a lot of people that enjoy it, AVA would not be the same without his vocals, it just wouldnt suit!
And yes the intros do drag far more than anybodys expectation, its a nice build for the kick in even thought it does drain on longer than neccasairy.
I am still unsure on the album if it is better than the previous two as i did love both immensley on their release and i am loving this, i am just unsure of the future of this band as much as i want them to continue and try something slightly different. They made attempts in this album but it didnt take it to a newer level
Johnny disappointed when he started to criticize the critical reviews to his own review. I try to read this kind of reviews to understand why people like him doesn’t get caught up by this catchy, positive music.
And I agree, or at least understand, some of it to a certain extent. But for me there are FAAAR more positives than negatives to these albums. For me they are a breath of fresh air, not the opposite.
For years I listened to rock and other genres and always thought they lacked that little extra. AvA gives me that, the “spaceship sounds” gives me that. And I choose to look past some of those slightly cheesy lines of lyrics that appear at times.
In Johnnys ears we need a boring 3 min 30 sec songs with a certain build up to air them at the radio?
After listening to AvA everything else goes in one ear and out the other. Or best-case-scenario, I like it the 3 first times I hear it. Radio frequencies will certainly be substituted with this album in my house.
[...] Angels & Airwaves Love Review @ Antiquiet [...]
5 out of 5 mehs.
Guys, this is a great review. If you think this album is good, you have no taste in music. I did love the beginning of Young London, but that’s only because it’s so obviously an AC/DC rip-off. I am a major Tom fan, but this album and I-Empire are disappointments. Their first CD was pretty good, although I didn’t love the entire album. I’m just excited that blink is going to put out some more music. If you ask me, Mark Hoppus has a huge influence on blink, seeing as how +44 sounded much more close to blink than AVA. I can’t wait to hear what they guys put together. But this album… every fucking song sounds the same! The lyrics are cheesy, amateurish, and they don’t change the instruments much in any song. All similar riffs, and fucking long intros of just bullshit effects.
HEY JOHNNY FUCK FACE FUCK U U FUCKING DIRT BAD UR A DICK HEAD U ASSHOLE!!! THIS ALBUM IS BY FAR THE BEST THINGS MY EARS HAVE HEARD FOR A WHILE SO GO CHOCK ON A DICK U FAG!!! U HAVE SOME BALLS EAT SHIT N DIE FUCKER
PASSION!!!! YES! MORE!
Johnny:
While I agree with you in some areas of your review I’m incredibly shocked at unprofessional you are. From the beginning, your review sounds biased, if you hate Tom then let someone else do the review…
Second… fair enough if you have all of those angels airwaves fanboys having a go at you… but your answers just seem like a selfish kid that think s he s got the power…
” I agree with McKee”???
he said he hasn’t even listened to the cd (why would you agree with him?)
that people are lucky you gave them 3 out of 5? so u were gonna give them less? why didn’t you
For a music Journalist you are a joke doing a job for a poor site.
Yes why then I am on a poor site? I was interested in the reviews for the angels album… I know you ll answer with an excuse that im a fanboy and an ass and keep the hate coming… but to be honest and you know this you are a mediocre journalist
have a good day sir
Johnny do you have any real arguments against this album?
Because this review just showed me, that you are in love with yourself. I don’t really care wether you liked the album or not, but what you wrote sounds more like hatred to me. If you write a review, it’s purpose is to help your readers figuring out wether they’ll love the music or not, but you wrote that review just to make yourself happy, not to help your readers. You just wanted to show everyone how much you disliked”LOVE”, but it didn’t show the album’s potential, that many people could get excited about AVA’s new “spaceship sounds”. People like me, but I can also know that there’ll be a bunch of people that won’t like it. And next time some primitive users (like Mike) start cussing at you, because they don’t have any arguments either, you should give them a better answer than “YES!MORE!”, maybe you could tell them how poor their comments are and that they are actually embarrassing themselves.
RyanPM, thanks man, kind of you to say.
On the contrary James, I don’t have many feelings about DeLonge one way or another. I was never that into Blink 182, but never held anything against them. Hearing Tom try to be melodramatic and romantic just doesn’t cut it for me, however. And my agreement with McKee was based on his/her assessment of the “defensive whining” and lashing out from the fanboi gallery, not whatever perceived opinion you may have pulled from their comment.
Look around, James. Scan the past two weeks’ worth of content alone. Tell me what music site out there holds a candle to the job we’re doing to deliver both the awesome and the wholehearted truth about what’s happening in the industry these days. We’re opinionated as hell, but this aint hot air we’re spouting; we’ve both devoted a very significant chunk of our lives to studying the very thing you’re here to read about, and we do the research to know exactly what we’re talking about. We live and breathe this shit every single day, no off-days, which is why you’re reading this on a Saturday. So you can fuck right off, but in case you didn’t catch it on the way in, we’re called Antiquiet. There’s a reason for that.
And Paul, I expressed my “arguments against this album” in the review. It’s painfully derivative, a relative one-trick pony, and Tom’s singing is far too limited for the ambition behind the instrumentation. Hell, 30 Seconds To Mars did pretty much the same thing, but Jared Leto can at least sing (Holy shit, did I just somehow compliment 30STM?). Furthermore, we’re not here to hold anybody’s hand and coach them on troll etiquette. Comment at your own risk.
Yeah man! If YOU hate Tom then you should get someone on this site to write who LOVES Tom! Like, I don’t know where you’d find that kind of guy but FUCK COCK DICK “CHOCK ON A DICK”! ….oh wait…I actually didn’t like the record that much. …carry on, carry on.
[...] Angels & Airwaves Love Review @ Antiquiet [...]
Johnny you are a fucking douche who has no musical tastes, those that say this is a bad album are so close minded, it’s ridiculous. This is a piece of art, like Tom pictured it, I don’t even care what you think, you posted this review for pure attention.
Three stars doesn’t equal “bad” in these woods.
A well written review from someone who is over 16.. I agree that this is not the proud pinnacle tom thinks it is… and lyrics and soundboard where way to crowded with space references, i didnt think it would come off like a soundtrack but now thats obvious… Hallucinations was a good single and it starts off the section of the album that gets much better…
I really appreciated the boxcar reference with letters to God… and i liked the core fan reference by making the first track the txt off their symbol…
I loved how much energy and Love Tom put into this album.. but he tried to hard to grow older while still pertaining to a varied audience….Clever Love is worth a listen… outro to young love is potential…
Overall… still a fanboy
Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. Slow down. If you start complimenting 30STM then I might have to start reading Pitchfork.
For this review, you gave it 3 stars (which in my mind means it is not a bad album), but you pretty much destroy it in the review. Not sure the text really matches the number of stars here.
Tom clearly tried something new with AVA that was not “Blink friendly”, it’s when we try something new that we progress. I’m glad that Blink is back together, but AVA is still an good group, where Tom tried something more mature, more musical. I enjoy more an artist creating music that means something to him, instead of releasing a pop album made to make money. Love is a great album, like the 2 previous ones.
accurate review
this is not an accurate review. this guy is a douchebag and has nothing else to do with his time
Now thats not very nice.
ok, right so you seem to be very full of yourself and obviously love attention cuz seriously writting back to these people who criticize you is just pathetic Johnny…i mean how can you do that, what gives you the right? your openly criticizing people who have “made it” in the music industry…they’ve obvioulsy got something you and other other people havent (yes am saying there, you n others play music or at least have tried) but you dont like it when people slate you and your opinion, otherwise you wouldnt be on here writtig back to other people…c’mon, seriously, dont be a bitch, its not like these musicians you slate or try putting down come back and say shit to you. you’d probably backdown, unless you could argue over the net like you are doing now.
i’ll give you credit though, you’ve made some very valid points, you really have. but seriously, the whole concept and idea behind this album is just amazing and inspiring…i think Toms give it his all and if thats not up to your standards i dont think he’ll lose any sleep, everyone has different tastes, how the hell can you even begin to explain what you like, especially in music, you just cant do it…thats the beauty of it. he’s got masses of fans and yes i am one of them, who will support him and likes things he does. am not here trying to put down your review cuz it was a good one, like i said you made some good points, like if Tom had a range of vocals then it may take off, but then again this band may never have taken off if it never had Tom Delonges signature vocals on it….2 sides, anyways, iv fucking well rambled on…all am saying is dont give it out if your not gunna take it, hell musicians have to.
this comment brought to you by myspace.
I never expected this many people to defend Angels & Airwaves.
Excuse my toungue, but are you fucking retarted? LOVE is fucking amazing and you obviousy have no clue what AVA is about. Get a life and criticize bands that produce music that dont even feature instruments like R&B/rap artists.
FUCK YOU
My Dear Al – Except for extreme cases, we don’t censor our commenters, and we don’t censor ourselves in response. The back-and-forth in the comments section of a great deal of articles has uncovered many interesting ideas, music and concepts for that very reason. You can trust us to speak freely, and we provide an option for you to do the same. But when someone attacks outside of logic and respect, when someone starts calling names based on a disagreement they’re not even able to articulate properly, well that’s when we get to have a little fun. How should we react to every “you’re a fucking douche asshole because you don’t love this album” comment, with respect and compassion? Should we ignore it? We’re just not that type of site (again, hence the name ANTIQUIET).
What gives us the right? We run this shit, that’s what. And deciding that we’re “not gunna take it,” as you so eloquently put it, would mean that you’d never see the fucking comment, because it would need moderator clearance before posting. But we’re not those assholes. We cherish the ability to speak freely and direct, no matter the result. If you don’t like our spirited jabs back at the brigade of fucking imbeciles throwing hate because I’m not jizzing all over their favorite band’s new record, you’re welcome to eat a dick. Otherwise enjoy the show .
if you do decide to eat a dick, be careful not to chock on it.
Dude, what is this review? Half the shit you say are taken directly from your anus. And they stink. As about the rest FUCK YOU
hahahaha exactly.
hahaha, mature man, real mature…your class, id rather eat the misses fanny to be fair, but if dicks are what your into go for it man…fucking virgin. “we run this shit” thats another classic as well, but the best is “jizzing all over their favourite records” i mean that, taking a shit and pissing on peoples records is far worse then slating them on some crappy site that your “running” hahaha, class johnny wetmeat your ace, please dont change
Is this an inside joke that I don’t get yet or is there really this many people defending this band?
oh and skwerl. Did you choke on it? It is clearly obvious that you two are lovers. Lovers of the night. You are the bitch obviously
by the way am just trying to join in the fun…i wonder who’s gunna have a pop at me? haha
jesus, your definatley a virgin
AI your mum hates you
my girlfriend does…i just blew my load after 2 minutes, on a possitive note though…its a new record for me
I’ve definitely gotta polish up on my semi-literate British slang. Or whatever the hell that is.
Johnny, Skwerl, keep up the amazing work…
This site has been a saviour to me, you cover every single album worth listening to from any and I mean any genre. You have proven time and time again that you are not going to shamefully throw a 1/5 on an album or a “shit on the band” review just because it’s emo in nature, you give them fair reviews and give them merits where deserved as well as FAIR criticism. You are even not afraid to give “The Fame Monster” a fair review which I commend because although I am also a fan of a lot of quality bands, I am not afraid to enjoy this type of record also.
You have your favourites (clutch) but admit that, and they are a decent band anwyays.
You almost always hit the nail on the head and the quality of ye’r musical taste is without question.
To the AVA gallery, one of the main reasons reviews for albums like these are tinted with sarcasm is the slightly immature nature of the lyrics of the band’s work.. When I enjoy AVA and 30stm albums I still have to experience many cringeworthy moments during them, obviously many of ye don’t have this problem considering the immaturity and nature of ye’r posts, so of course ye would think Johnny if a FUCKING COCKSUCKER PRICK WHORE…
You make me sick. Jesus Out
you dont have to polish anything, random english words are the key
61 comments so far, wow! This might even break the record from the Muse review. That stopped at 156 on January 10.
Anyway, I can’t stand this guy’s voice. His singing in Blink 182 was annoying as fuck, and it hasn’t changed one bit since then. As long as he keeps opening his mouth, he will always be the emo punk teenager dude, no matter how much he tries to change it.
Good review man, a little rude with the band, but still true, in my point of view I loved the album but i couldn’t stop noticing so many things that I’ve heard before, things that were used in a good way in this album, but they put so much effort trying to make weird, original sounds, and they use the same melodies over and over again with different sounds, I’m a Tom DeLonge’s big fan and I think it’s mediocre of other fans to say that it’s the best album ever/since st.Peppers, that’s not true, IT’S GOOD, but they can do it better, If it wasn’t for free I’d buy it, but it’s far from a master piece, well done man.
Goddamn, it’s a review. Calm the fuck down.
Man, these comments are hilarious! I never thought so many angry teenyboppers would look at antiquiet.
Keep up the good work johnny & skwerl.
I thought this album was pretty good. It has some very catchy riffs on the guitar and cool intros, but i think it does sound a little bit like the previous two albums they released. I’m not dissing the album.. heck i can’t stop listening to it.. I think an album grows on you. At first its alright but overtime you tend to like it more and more. So when you say you hate the album, i think it is too soon to tell if you hate it or like it. Give it some time and then form your opinion.
Man this internet is going to be the downfall of us all. Why do you care what one jackoff on the internet says about an album? Seriously. How can you take a guy seriously when he responds to comments? Anyone one of you could make a site and say this is the greatest thing ever made or that it causes cancer. It’s 2010…every jackass with a PC has a voice. The only thing you can really do is listen to it for yourself and *gasp* form your own opinion.
Yeahhhhh johnny & skwerl you guys rock. u guys r the gayest couple
Wait, did I miss a memo? When did responding to comments result in LOSING credibility? I thought in order for a conversation to happen, two parties had to be involved.
But in all seriousness, solid review Johnny. Summed up how I felt about the album too, more or less. Keep up the good work, both on the site and in the comments section.
==TJ==
PS: Not gonna lie, I’ve actually liked (most of) 30STM’s music.
I don’t have a PC.
This album is a masterpiec,e the whole band did an amazing job. The songs have meaning an heart to them.
This album is a masterpiece, the whole band did an amazing job. The songs have meaning an heart to them.
This album is a masterpiece, the whole band did an amazing job. The songs have meaning and heart to them.
I would have to agree with the author of this article. Although i do think it is better than what the review said, i have to agree with the bottom line: it may not win over new fans. It will keep the fans happy. I think this album fared much better than the second album. I though that was a terrible album and pales in comparison with this or the first album. I think it definitely shows an evolution for this band.
This was the most poorly written, biased review I’ve ever read in my life. Clearly your hearing sucks or you’re listening to a different album. But even if you really didn’t like it, there’s no need to such an arrogant asshole about it. I don’t know if you call yourself a journalist or what, but what I just read was a flat-out personal attack against the band. AVA is so far from “emo,” they are positive and uplifting, unlike most bands. If you’re going to call AVA emo, then every single band on the planet is emo as well. Usually there is emotion behind songs.
This album is an honest-to-God masterpiece. AVA has changed my life in so many ways. If you don’t like them, then fine, but there’s no need to say immature, childish things like “Yeah, that’s a self-fellating load of horseshit, and those kinds of descriptions are usually used for overproduced, self-important mediocrity.” You’re just making yourself look like a biased jackass.
Now, go back and listen to your Hanna Montanna.
Nah, Miley’s so much cooler. But while we’re at it, how did AVA change your life? Seriously though, that’s gotta be an awesome story.
Yeah man, if you don’t like this fucker’s eternally emo voice, you’re BIASED. This is just too much. I feel like going on random Blink 182 boards and linking this review.
how old is this guy who did the review? i think my 12 year old brother is more mature than him.
Oh trust me Nando, they’re already here.
Fantastic review. I must say, I was quite the Blink182 fan several years ago. I’ve tried to like AVA, but after buying their first album and giving it a few spins, I just deleted it. Every song sounded similar and rather contrived.
This review told me exactly what I wanted to know about this album. Have they really improved? Probably not, but I may still give this one a chance.
I’d love for them to make the kind of record they keep bragging about, but they need to stop the bragging and start sweating to make better music before that will ever happen.
I agree with Sam,AVA itself is a work of art,Tom’s best work yet. It is truely a masterpiece,Johnny you are clearly a very narrow- minded fuckwit…it’s so much more then lyrics and riffs, Angels & AIrwaves is a reveloution.
Viva La “Reveloution”!
But who is that idiot who put 3 stars to album Love? .. shame .. see going to pick up the cow shit .. do not understand a shit!
You guys didn’t review this cause I recommended it did you? If so, sorry for all the (what I think are) trolls…. haha
AVA & Delonge suck big fat cocks, like all you teenyboppers who dream of licking turds out of that self righteous motherfucker’s ass…
Johhny, you’re right on your review but 3 stars is just too much…As for me, album is pure shit, no wonder is free…
http://www.myspace.com/afistfulofdirt
pupo you should be marauded by two elephants. Anally. You are a piece of shit and no one cares what you think. FUck your mother
Alright kittens, let’s settle down with the inflammatory personal attacks against one another. You can direct the heat at us – hell, it can be fun reading someone’s suggestion that I “chock” on the dick of the “reveloution,” but when you start turning on each other with nothing but bile there’s nothing left to talk about.
I gotta be honest though, I only went to hear the songs on the bands myspace, because of the massive space this comment section accumulated in such a short time. Even downloaded the album, only because it was free. I’m not sure I’ll ever extract the rar file. I don’t agree with one thing, the album seems pretty accessible to me – standard sulky/catchy pop/rock melodies and progressions that repeat and dominate the structures of all songs. Maybe the “sulky” part is not loved that much this day and age by the lot of teens (which notion the comment section clearly contradicts). I don’t know.
“CHOCK ON A DICK”, that’s meme material right there. Someone call 4chan.
[...] GnR play secret NYC show Robert Plant releasing solo album Download Angels & Airwaves Love Antiquiet review of Love Rage Against The Machine free show in [...]
That was harsh Youclowns, I’m an orphan and I never met my parents and I was abused as a child. You brought back the bad memories. Thanks for nothing. Back to therapy…
I personally get super pissed when writers respond to my comments. It’s like they actually give a shit what I have to say! Insulting to say the least. But then again I also sit alone and yell at books and magazines that I’m reading. That’s just me.
You know this is his Review. His Thoughts. His Deal. I love Angels And Airwaves, but its not something you take personaly. cause its not directly to you. I think he had a Decent Review from a un-biased opinion. Good Job man
You guys missed the best comment completely. “You make me sick. Jesus out.” is t-shirt material.
If you have to explain that your shit is “super conceptual and highbrow in many ways, very artistic” it generally means that it aint. But then again, if he didn’t say that, his fans would have no idea that’s what he was going for; based on most of the comments here, conceptual and highbrow isn’t something they can even grasp. I guess if you have limited musical knowledge, you might actually think this was good, but anyone with ANY frame of refernce as to musical goodness can see right through this transparent crap.
And DeLonge gets my vote as biggest douche in the universe merely for having the nerve to compare his work in any way to the late, great Stanley Kubrick. Besides the fact that comparing Kubrick’s film making style to DeSchlonge’s music is like comparing apples and oranges in the first place, it’s blasphemous to even utter such nonsense, and he should be strung up by his ball hair in public and have feces thrown at him.
I don’t even need to listen to this shit to know that it sucks ass and yes, chocks on dick, but thanks for warning me in advance and justifying my biased opinion. Now c’mon people, let’s see if we can break that Muse comment record. Again, for the record, Angels and Airwaves sucks serious ass, as do their fans.
Long live Antiquiet.
Johnny,
I’m sure you are ready to move on and forget about the responses to your review. I just have one question – how is the moon atomic an equivilent to PJ’s insignificance. I’m a jamhead through and through – and i can’t see the connection???
other than that… your review isn’t bad – and not as venimous as these hardcore AVA fans have taken it.
Later
I just meant lyrically – it was the quoted line that really made the connection for me, however thin it may be. Reminded me of “bombs dropping down… please forgive our hometown in our insignificance….”
Johnny -
gotcha… nice catch! I guess i was a little taken back – considering the myriad of pearl jam songs you could have connected… but that one surely does fit.
Nice review – i myself have listened to about the first half of the new AVA – and it is an enjoyable album… but it doesn’t much deviate from the idiosyncratic formula that this band has developed.
Thanks for getting back to me.
Josh
Zoopster… DeLonge was talking about the upcoming LOVE movie, when comparing it to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Not the album.
The album is just part of the movie’s soundtrack… along with 30 minutes extra of instrumentals.
oh, well…that makes all the difference, then. not totally fucking pretentious at all…..
In that case, hung by his ASS hair in public and have URINE thrown at him.
hahaha man, I love you guys.
Lick my asscrack and choke on my hair
You prick
I am shocked by such foul language from the son of God.
So… Zoopster tell us more when are u planning to loose ur virginity or where can we learn more from u??? U seem like the fat comic book guy from the simpsons!
Lovin ur whole review wankin to Kubrik LOL :)
Props Johnny for the Review
Hahahaaaaaa zoopster. “I am shocked…” Awesome.
coolio: worst.comment.ever.
I was a huge Blink fan from far back in the day, namely high school, and I still get excited from all releases from the members. Any time I hear new material, I dive in listening with the same bright eyed and bushy-tailed exuberance of years far gone.
However, this album has sealed the deal for me. I have grown far past this fashion of music, and there is no looking back. I appreciate the effort AVA, I understand the lifting feeling you are attempting to achieve with your music, but nothing is musically significant about this record. The lyrics shine straight through as unbelievably amateurish and repetitive. The music itself all sounds the same, the progressions go no where, and everything falls flat from ever hitting a mark.
You can see where the focus to market this music was, and obviously that crowd adores it after looking at these comments. In my opinion, Tom just needs to stop comparing this band to anything relevant to the world of music and art, because there is nothing found within to compare to or back up his statements. You can only lie to me so many times before I’ve given up listening to what you have to say. :/
I’m happy for those who find comfort with this album as it’s a great feeling to enjoy. This album is nice as background ambiance because it really does “feel” uplifting, but that’s all I can truly give it.
For those fans that can’t take a negative and objective review on a band they love: understand where the author is coming from and that not everyone will agree with your opinion in life, it’s time to mature.
Tom and Blink have given me years of music enjoyment, this material just isn’t cutting it for me anymore. At least it was free. Listen to Pink Floyd, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles if you want a taste of what epic really feels like.
fuck you ass hole. LOVE is a masterpiece, youre a talentless fuck thats doesnt know music
i can’t believe how upset some of you people become after reading this. if you dont agree with this review then fine. this guy is perfectly entitled to an opinion, just like you. grow up.
personally i think this album is quite good with some minor flaws (lyrics in epic holiday being a good example). soul survivor, shove and hallucinations being my favorites. also i think tom is so pretentious when he talks about his music, but i give hime A+ for his dedication and creativity to create something new and exciting.
I think AVA’s new record is absolutely amazing.
I’m not even gonna argue with this review.
I don’t agree with it…
But, hey, there’s gonna be a few assholes who don’t appreciate the beauty and creativity of this record.
As long as I know that I love it, I don’t care :)
well i know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but honestly when it comes to music i think people need to be a little bit more open minded and think before they write some nonsense about how the lyrics are meaningless and what not. Clearly there is meaning behind their lyrics, they might not mean anything to you guys but they do mean something to others. Just as all lyrics mean something to any one who writes them or even listens to them. It’s even better when you can relate to the lyrics, so you guys may not like AVA but that’s your own opinion. Yeah sure go ahead and write a review, but let’s be mature about it, seriously. you call this the antiquiet? you said your piece in the review so now let us say ours. first off let’s start with tom’s voice, yeah a lot of you think that it’s “whiney” but it’s different, just think of tom with the same voice as all the other singers? his voice is different and i think that’s why people have a problem with it. AVAs music is not catchy to you guys but that’s probably cause you have a different taste in music. obviously not everyone is going to like their sound, lyrics and voice etc. which is exactly why there’s so many different types of music. i mean i used to be like you guys, always saying negative comments about music/bands i didn’t like but now i’ve come to realize a stronger appreciation for music and the effort that each and every musician puts into their music no matter whether i actually like their music or not. i mean it’s crazy what harsh words people can say about a piece of work someone has so much passion for and has put in so much hard work, effort and love into. i feel like today people are so close minded, that they only like the music that everyone else is liking at the moment and are swayed by what other’s say. AVA is one of my favorite bands and honestly judge me if you want, i don’t care but i saw that someone said AVA has changed their life in many ways and they aren’t the only ones. AVA and their music has definitely changed my life, their music got me through the absolute hardest years of my life and i continue to listen to them when i’m feeling down and need that boost, of knowing that there is hope and things might just be okay. and not only do i love their music and their message, i love that they care, they interact with their fans and ask for our opinions and they want nothing more to have us happy. i truly feel like i know the guys, i’ve met them multiple times and each time it’s like they are just normal guys passionate about making music and living their dream. their music is incredibly amazing and passionate and life changing to many. i’m sure that other bands have influenced you guys tremendously and even have maybe been life changing to you. so everyone has their own favorite band or one that they think no one could ever top. and AVA happens to be a lot of people’s. can’t you just accept it? AVA is not a blink side project either, it’s something completely different and i know a lot of blink fans (i’m one myself) got butt hurt when tom started AVA but honestly mark and travis did their own thing as well and if AVA never happened i honestly don’t know what i would’ve done, stand up for what you believe in but don’t bash people’s hard work. and yeah everyone says all their songs sound the same…but isn’t that how all artists songs are? they are supposed to sound the same, lady gaga, the beatles, ac/dc etc. LOVE was amazing and i couldn’t have asked for more and i’m sure all of you negative commenters out there haven’t seen an AVA show. well my advice to you is GO. they put on an awesome show, you couldn’t even imagine. you’d be surprised, i bet if you went, you’d like it. stop being so close minded, do something different and out of the ordinary. go to a AVA concert, a band you dislike and see what happens. i listen to all different kinds of music and keep my mind open to different genres and i don’t say, ‘i hate that s*** turn it off, even if that’s how i feel. ALL musicians have had such an impact on the world today to so many different people, why bash all their hard work? even if you do have a different opinion about it? think about it…that’s all i’m saying
Holy Christ girl, the punctuation monster is coming to get you. But big love to your fifth grader argument. We’ll be extra nice to everybody we review from here on out, regardless of quality. Just for you.
I think this is a pretty fair review. Tom put far too much hype on this album and the end ‘ This is not the sound of falling in love, this is the sound of a band planning for years and doing their very best to be your Valentine’s Day soundtrack with slick, warm production and spaceship sounds’ sums up it up perfectly for me.
Now I am a huge fan of AVA’s previous stuff and WDNTW is my favourite album. The group seem to becoming less of a band with that ’spaceship sounds’ library you mention and are holding out with too many instrumental picees where it’s not needed. This album is not going to change your life and it’s most certainly NOT the ‘Best album ever’!! I can’t understand why there are so many whiney, pathetic defensive AVA fans out there but let ‘em have their says so! I need something to snigger at when I see that someone believes that this is Tom’s greatest work! It isn’t even a patch on the debut from the band when Tom actually had proper ambitions and he wasn’t trying to be an emo. For me it’s either sort yourself out or go back to Blink and concentrate on them. Swapping inbetween two bands has clearly not worked this time around.
BTW Hallucinations is most definitely not the best song on the record. It’s a pathetic childish piece of music with a weak chorus and a load of overdone synths. Epic Holiday has the best sound for me and I’m not appreciating ‘Ohhh yeahhhh!’ wailing. Tom could have done a lot better and I really don’t wanna remember this band for this shambles.
Well, seems like someone do not like AVA and must do a review on the new album ^^
I think too that it is not the masterpiece Tom announce every time he’s recording. The last Blink album was probably his best work with Mark and Travis, the first AVA was great, entirely new, I-Empire was a sort of We Don’t Need to Whisper 2 but LOVE sounds a little bit different… The main thing about AVA is that Tom voice is unfortunately not the stadium/opera rock kind of voice. I’d rather wait for the next Blink record that will include all that Tom, Mark and Travis acquired musically during the last years.
Best song for me on LOVE in Soul Survivor and Epic Holiday, although the riff from everything’s magic
Some of you guys are idiots. Instead of wasting time being completely enraged, you should have realized that if you ignore the first 3 paragraphs, this becomes a legitimate review.
I didn’t notice the rip-offs… at least not instantly, but I did find myself enjoying bits and pieces of every song. As a album however, it is lacking since it requires more than one listen to appreciate the message Tom is trying to convey. As for it being the best album ever… well, I can assure you that none of these songs will make the pop charts and thus will not appeal to the masses.
Angels & Airwaves is my FAVORITE band, but I’m going to be honest, as good as this album was, (I’d say 7/10) Toms best AVA album was I-Empire. There isn’t a bad track on there! Its phenomenal. Don’t get me wrong, I loved We Don’t Need To Whisper, and LOVE. I think it will be hard to top I-Empire though. That was the soundtrack to my Junior and Senior year. Its an album that cannot be replaced on how special it is to me. I fell in love for the first time to that album, I graduated to that album, I said goodbye to friends with that album, fun times at the lake with that album, so naturally, I prefer I-Empire. But LOVE was great too :)
good review he is right ava is very overhyped but thats jurt tom for you :)
is still nice to listen though
this album reeks of awesomeness, this guy is a douche
Got to agree with Johnny on this one. I am a massive AVA fan, got into Blink 182 when they were just called Blink (I think that was around 92-93???). Lol, I would say many of the posters here would have still been sucking from their mothers tit.
Tom seems to be just doing the same thing. The first two albums were quite insane, a new sound and quite fresh in comparison to other side project bands such as Boxcar and +44 which still had a very heavy 182 influence.
This album has not progressed their sound at all, it is stagnant as they seem to play it safe with the same old (I’m floating in space) routine.
Don’t get me wrong, this album has some great tracks, it’s just not what you would expect as a third album. There’s no depth to it. It just seems to be mostly filler or songs that they could not fit on the previous 2 albums.
6 / 10, simply because I know that Tom is capable of so much more. 8.5 – 9 / 10 if I had never heard of the band before.
LONG LIVE BLINK!!!
By the way, Johnny, you’re still a cock with no skill ;)
i was disapointed in the album the first 2 albums are better by quite a bit but that being said its not bad.To much of it sounded the same.I understand each song your suppose to disect the lyrics to find the true meaning.There previous work had better sounding music and lyrics were easier to get into
What you fail to realize johnny is that this album is about more than music. Its about using esoteric symbolism in more than just images. You know those sounds you dont like just because theyre not a guitar bass or drums? Theyre creating a mood an image and an energy. And i was unaware that acdc had a monpoly on playing fast guitar riffs. The album sounds like the others on purpose. On the first track the main musical phrase is taken from valkeyrie missle on the first album. They use similar chord progressions and melodic shapes to make the sound more familiar and to blend the songs live. Its ambitious and it shatters the format tht every other band has tried to do.
You guys are crazy! Especially Jesus, haha. I’m not mad at anyone.. I mean personally I love the album but watevs soma you guys are posting novels!! Haha gooyong
BAZINGA
Did Tom bang the reviewer’s girlfriend or something? He cleary has written a contrived attack on a blatantly GREAT album. Seems personal. Maybe he’s just grumpy about the fact that he writes meaningless reviews for this worthless non-surfed website and A&A are making millions of dollars and selling out shows. Ya think?
Not a bad album, but definately their weakest so far. WDNTW was definately their best.
I don’t like this album. I enjoy some of the outros and intros but there’s too many. I see quite a bit of truth in the review, especially in the distinct musical commonalities but it reads as biased against Tom and AVA which led me to believe the album was going to be rated one or two. Relative to other “music” I think this album deserves a four but otherwise it deserves a three for lacking originality among other aspects such as the closed vocal ranged, limited lyrical power, and emotion compared to their previous albums (if you can even consider them worthy of these aspects).
Maybe Tom is just out of words to say… Anyone can write love lyrics. And yes.. I’m posting this in July. I gave it a second chance after being disappointed in February (still dissapointed)
I actually agree with the review. And I am a massive fan of AVA’s first two works, which I would in fact consider as masterpieces in their own right. LOVE sounds recycled, tired, melodramatic and just plain stupid. Especially considering the quality of their first two albums this third so called “epic” really just annoys the hell out of me. I’m so sad that we see the end of Angels and Airwaves, my favorite band ever. But I suppose all good things…
I don’t know who actually hired you to write music reviews since you don’t know shit about how to appreciate the great music and message that Tom DeLonge is trying to pass to this generation..
You think this album is about romance? You really believe that? Well I’ll tell you what is it about. It is about something ways more superior but you won’t get it unless you LISTEN and get all the hate out of your shithead..
Angels And Airwaves is deffinetely one of the greatest bands of last 10 years and you can’t seem to appreciate what they’re trying to do because you’re closed in your little brain. I could feel sorry for you but I’m not..
Wow, what a terrible review. Sounds like someone has some type of grudge towards AVA. I’m not sure why. You obviously must not feel the music like most others would. AVA is meant to take the listener to a different place, its a cool feeling that their music gives you, and you obviously don’t respect that, and should not be attempting to make a bad excuse for a review based on your apparently grudge-filled opinion rather than a logical review based on a breakdown of the core elements of their music such as the MUSICAL side of it, not just the fact that you think Tom Delonge is a douchebag.
I’d say it’s a fair review. Well, not totally fair, but it is accurate. There is some lingering bias in Johnny’s answer, but he’s not really wrong. Tom’s lyrics are a bunch of words that sound good on their own but mean absolutely nothing meshed together. I will admit AVA has some good songs but I will also admit that I can count them all on just one hand. The rest is a revolting mess of meaningless words meant to emotionally move young teenagers.
This album is not a masterpiece. Tom has done SO much better.
This album is not meaningful. This band is not the greatest, or even close to it.
But I respect Tom…. a little.
He tried something new (for him, anyway. This sort of music has been done before). He tried something new and it didn’t work out. That’s still worth noting.
this isn’t a grudge-filled. This is an honest OPINION from someone who has thoughtfully and open-mindedly listen to every AVA song.
Anybody can write what Tom has written given the time and teenage mentality. He’s spent.
[...] Watch Mariachi El… Related Please Stop With The Pink… Angels & Airwaves Want To… Jack White Rips A Page From… Tweet, Tweet, It’s Over [...]
Just spent a good hour or so reading through this review (plus a couple of other reviews for Love 1&2 on other sites) and its follow up comments; relatively entertaining stuff.
First of all I think that everyone is entitled to their opinion, be it a positive or negative one towards the album/band. Music is a form of art, and like all forms of art it leaves different consumers with vastly different feelings. That’s all well and good. The world would be a bloody boring place if we all liked the same things.
I do not agree with the review, though I am a MASSIVE A&A fanboy. It was well written (the review) and humouress in parts (comments such as “the second coming of musical Christ”). Tom doesn’t do himself any favours with his comments at times about the bands greatness; it can obviously be taken by some as ridiculous, over the top arrogance. For me, I more get a laugh out of them, and take those comments as a wonderful proudness that he feels from this project, which is certainly not a mere side one.
I ain’t no musical expert that’s for sure, so I am pretty ignorant to any rip off’s musically that the band is guilty of. Though rock music has a history that now goes back more than fifty years, so to some extent, whatever is created now guitar wise is probably going to sound somewhat similar to something else that has been done (there are after all only six strings); it doesn’t mean that it is a blatant copy/use of a previous tune.
Tom does have a very whiny voice, and I can certainly understand why some would dislike it, but if you dislike it then I also do not know why you would bother listening to his music. For some reason I like his voice (I don’t know why) – and it sounds absolutely perfect for the music that he creates. And as for being EMO; well, I thought most of that was a whingefest (negative)? Most of Tom’s lyrics are extremely positive and uplifting (just like the music); they really lift me up like no other band can, so I don’t understand how this is emo.
I do get how some say that A&A’s music sounds too similar – I agree to a certain degree. I just think that when you are into a band as much as I am with A&A, then even small differences in the sound/tune become distinctive, so while I will instantly recognise a song because of the A&A sound, I am able to distinguish between the tracks, and enjoy some more than others, though I have to say that there isn’t a single track of theirs that I dislike, which even for me is pretty strange.
Individually I think that the best songs off the Love albums just defeat the best songs off the two prior albums (I especially love tracks 2-6 on part one, Flight Of Apollo may even be my favourite song ever), and collectively the albums work wonderfully well, with the intro’s/outro’s really adding to the whole ‘album’ feel.
For me all of A&A’s work has been ‘great’, but that doesn’t mean that it is. It’s just my opinion. I reckon I will be just as excited about A&A’s ‘fifth’ album as I was about the second, third and fourth, and how many bands have that kind of effect on us?
Thanks for the considerate and well thought-out response.
I just saw the film, It has to be one of the greatest masterpeices I have ever seen. Seriously. It had a great message. But maybe it takes an intellectual to understand it. Maybe thats why people comment rude things about it. They don’t understand it.