Tom DeLonge has been a very busy man lately. When he's not touring with recently reformed blink-182 promoting their new album Neighborhoods, he's serving as the creative force behind his side project, Angels and Airwaves. Formed shortly after blink-182's initial dissolution, Angels and Airwaves has recently released their fourth studio album, Love2.
While not an overall bad album, Love2 seriously brings into question Tom Delonge's abilities as a song writer. The main thing lacking from Love2 is originality; not only are the tracks indistinguishable from one another, they are also indistinguishable from other Angels and Airwaves songs. The most glaring example of this is "Surrender" which uses a similar riffing pastern and chord structure as "Everything's Magic" off of their second album. The songwriting is very typical of Angels and Airwaves past works and nothing really pushes the envelope musically.
Having said that, I can't say I dislike the album. DeLonge's signature vocal stylings soar over punchy riffs and crisp, tight beats. If anything, Angels and Airwaves retains the ability to write catchy hooks and infectious choruses. The whole album has a surreal, dreamy feel to it that makes it paradoxically energizing and relaxing.
Love2 is nothing new for the band. If you're already a fan of Angels and Airwaves or blink-182, chances are you'll like this album too. On the other hand, this album isn't going to create new Angels and Airwaves fans.
And Tom? On the slim chance you're reading this now, please take a break. Two albums in one year have got to put a strain on your creativity and it's starting to show.
Rating
Music: 3/5
Lyrics: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
Overall, solidly constructed if a bit repetitive and derivative of earlier works.
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