The world is understandably excited for the first new Blink-182 album in five years. After all, many of us grew up with the band, and the early returns — such as lead single “Bored to Death” — capture the irreverent attitude that made them so beloved over the years. Unfortunately, the album will also have a noticeable absence, as it will not feature Tom DeLonge, who has been with the band since the beginning, and sang on several of their best-known tracks, such as “I Miss You” and “All the Small Things.” Now, whether or not he really left the band to look for UFOs — a claim he has denied — this seems like a good time to reconsider one of DeLonge’s other, far less beloved bands, Angels & Airwaves.
When A&A released their debut album, We Don’t Need to Whisper in 2006, it was quite clear that DeLonge was looking for something more mature than Blink-182. Sure, they had some great times, but he probably felt that he couldn’t go around singing songs called “Dysentery Gary” forever, y’know? Going into the release of the debut, DeLonge made the crucial rock star mistake of hyping his work up too much: he compared the band to Radiohead and Pink Floyd, and said it would be “the best music in generations.” Now, unless you’re name is Kanye, you almost certainly should not be making claims like this.
The album received mixed reviews, and in the eyes of many, did not come close to living up to the hype. It was the perfect example of the egotistical rock star building up an idea of his work that he couldn’t live up to. That said, while We Don’t Need to Whisper wasn’t the world-conquering masterpiece its creator thought it would be, it’s probably a much stronger record than what you’ve heard. Lead single “The Adventure” was an undeniably invigorating anthem. Sure, it borrows a bit from U2, but that’s hardly the worst crime in the world, especially since so many musicians have done the same. More importantly, it’s a well-assembled combination of idealism and bombast. One can’t help but think that perhaps if DeLonge wasn’t telling us to like his music so much, we might have liked it more.
About a year and a half later, the band released their second album, I-Empire, which was released to equally lukewarm reviews, and sold significantly less than the first record. At this point, A&A was developing a reputation as a disappointing, unnecessary band that could never live up to their lofty goals. And yet, like their debut, there was plenty of stuff to like. First off, “Everything’s Magic,” the lead single, is a gloriously under-appreciated record. It combines the nervous-but-excited-teenager vibe of “First Date,” but places it within a loftier context. It also hosts a marvelous, head-rush of a chorus that sticks in your head for days at a time. Honestly, if all of Angels & Airwaves’ work had been as strong as “Everything’s Magic,” DeLonge’s initial claims about the band’s greatness wouldn’t have seemed quite so far out.
Unfortunately, the rest of I-Empire fails to live up to the glory of its first single. The follow-up “Secret Crowds” features worn-out cliches about how “wouldn’t be cool if there was like no war, and stuff, man” and gets even worse when he promises to build his love interest some magical world where none of the worst aspects of modern life would exist. DeLonge made it clear from the beginning that he was drawing heavy inspiration from U2, and on this song, he sadly fell into Bono’s most unfortunate heavy-handed tendencies.
It was at this point, with public interest in Angels & Airwaves waning considerably, that they managed to make an album that critics actually liked. Perhaps without the massive expectations that were initially placed on the band (by DeLonge himself, of course), the public could finally take the band for who they were. Their third album, Love, was received far better among critics than their first two, and with good cause. The massive, prog-rock ambitions that DeLonge had aspired to since the beginning were finally coming to fruition. Tracks like “The Flight of Apollo” and “Epic Holiday” successfully harnessed the grandiosity that he failed to grab the first two times around. Finally, Angels & Airwaves was becoming the band that it had originally claimed to be.
Unfortunately, most people weren’t around to notice. Love peaked at a mere No. 67 on the Billboard 200 charts. It’s quite possible that after the lukewarm reception the first two albums received, the public lost interest, and just assumed the band would never get their act together. The follow-up, 2011’s Love: Part Two performed a bit better, peaking at No. 30, but it also received some of the band’s harshest reviews yet, with Rolling Stone giving it a brutal 1.5 stars. That seems to just be how things have gone for A&A; any time they start making some leeway in terms of critical respect and public awareness, another setback would leave them lower than they were when they started.
And yet, it hasn’t stopped the band from soldiering on. In 2014, they got their groove back with their fifth album, The Dream Walker, which earned high praise from critics, including a 4.5 star-review from Alternative Press. Tracks like “Teenagers and Rituals” showcased DeLonge’s attempt to combine space-rock and pop-punk working as well as they ever have. The album debuted at a modest No. 39 on the albums charts, but it left them in a good place for the foreseeable future.
Angels & Airwaves have had many ups-and-downs throughout their first decade of existence, but the band has done plenty of rewarding work, which has reflected DeLonge’s impressive growth as an artist. His boastful comments upon the release of We Don’t Need to Whisper gave the band a lot to live up to, and damaged their reputation early in their career, which they are still recovering from. Still, this is a thoughtful, ambitious band, and while they don’t always hit the mark, when they do, they can make some pretty incredible stuff. If the critical rejection of their first two records turned you off of exploring the band’s work, you’ve missed out on some great stuff. Luckily, there’s no time like the present to start looking into what Angels & Airwaves has to offer. Give them a fair shot, and you just might be pleasantly surprised.
