Angels & Airwaves

I-Empire

Written by: PP on 26/12/2007 17:01:58

I didn\'t realize Angels & Airwaves were re-releasing their debut album \"We Don\'t Need To Whisper\" under a different name - \"I-Empire\". Well okay, that\'s not entirely true. Tom DeLonge and his entourage have approached planet Earth slightly more from their debut album, but their substanceless, forgettable space-rock still dwells at a distance of about Pluto if I was to make a gross estimate. I mean how many times does Tom need to do the same guitar effect over and over again, we get it, you have learnt how to use a pedal, now it\'s time to move on.

And I guess the band has moved on - backwards. The few songs that I like on the album, \"Everything\'s Magic\", \"Call To Arms\", \"Secret Crowds\", are all either direct rip offs from Blink 182 or at least some kind of renditions from their success-formula, mostly from \"Blink 182\" and \"Take Off Your Pants & Jacket\". The opening riff of \"Everything\'s Magic\", for example, is directly lifted off \"Anthem Part II\" from Blink 182. Stealing should never be a solution in music, you WILL get caught. The others are less obvious, but still incorporate a certain degree of riff/dynamic recycle from the Blink times.

I suppose I\'m being a bit harsh, because \"I-Empire\" really is a noticeable improvement from the piece of turd known as \"We Don\'t Need To Whisper\". The album is much more guitar driven and, aside from a few songs like \"True Love\" and \"Star Of Bethlehem\", showcases a band that doesn\'t have its head up its own ass anymore. The songs that sound most like Blink 182 are the best, and the songs that sound like \"We Don\'t Need To Whisper\" deserve to be thrown into a garbage can. Now what does that tell you? If you read in between the lines, that\'s Tom running back to us with his tail in between his legs, because his \"best album in 20 years\" project failed miserably.

The truth is, while \"I-Empire\" is much, much better than the debut, it still isn\'t very good, but at least the direction is right: we really need Blink 182 to re-unite.

p.s. The artwork is the biggest joke in 2007: what is it, Star Wars?

6

Download: Secret Crowds, Everything\'s Magic
For the fans of: late Blink 182
Listen: Myspace
Buy: iTunes

Release date 06.11.2007
Geffen Records

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