By Saida Green
By Saida Green
Angels and Airwaves is an alternative rock band created in 2005 by former Blink-182 member, Tom DeLonge.
In an interview with the British magazine, “Kerrang!” DeLonge tells how he started the band. “Just before all the Blink-182 stuff happened when we were in Europe, I had an epiphany. My heart was beating about a hundred miles a minute and so I started this band.”
His new band, Angels and Airwaves, is setting out to change a lot of things about music. DeLonge believes that the music industry is in a crisis. People aren’t buying music anymore; they just download music from the internet and burn it onto CDs or mp3 players.
Angels and Airwaves is trying new things with their music like movies, short films, and live events to bring their fans back into music stores, and closer to understanding their music.
Their new CD, “I-Empire”, is the band’s second album and was written and produced by DeLonge himself. “I-Empire” was officially released on their web site on Nov.1 and it was released on CD in the USA and Canada on Nov. 6.
Tom DeLonge says the album continues with the theme of the first album, “WeDon’t Need to Whisper”, which was about a rebirth of life. “I-Empire” is about what you do after the rebirth.
I recently had the privilege of listening to their new CD. The first time I listened to it I was doing homework and not really listening to the lyrics and instruments, so I didn’t think it was too special. But the second time I listened to the CD I was alone in my room sitting on my bed. I really took my time listening and I loved it! The tone of the songs isn’t dark, sad, and hopeless, but happy and optimistic.
Angels and Airwaves sound is unique. Their music has a positive vibe, which is a welcome sound that is different from all the political and social negativity that I’ve been hearing in most popular rock nowadays.
DeLonge is also working on a documentary entitled, “Start the Machine”, which he has just finished and submitted to The Sundance Film Festival.
DeLonge says that the documentary will shed a lot of light onto the meaning of the band, what they’re trying to accomplish, and how it all stemmed from the breakup of Blink-182.
In the middle of all this is a story about a girl on drugs and a guy running from his life. The guy and girl come in contact with the music and it changes them. The whole idea is that even though there’s a struggle in your life, you can find happiness and love within the worst of times.
In another interview with “Kerrang!” magazine, DeLonge said that the band would “…usher in this entire new culture of the youth, obsessed with the future. Because we’re not going to be one of those rock bands that take photos sitting on dirty curbs, pretending to be like every other rock band in the past 10 years. Angels and Airwaves will be about the future.”
So far Angels and Airwaves has been a great band that has lived up to some of its potential and hype. Just like the songs on their new CD, “I-Empire”, their taking a while to swell into full form and deliver, so larger audiences might not warm up to them at first. But if you take your time and really listen to their music, you’ll love it.
