Angels and Airwaves

Tuesday, October 16th, 2007

Angles and Airwaves or AVA if you will, have released a new song from their upcoming album I-Empire (set to drop November 6th). For those who don’t know AVA is Tom Delong’s (formerly of Blink 182) new project, which also features drummer Atom Willard who left The Offspring to concentrate on AVA full time. The band has already seen a line-up change with Ryan Sinn (formerly of The Distillers), who was booted from the band (via a phone call) to steal away Matt Watcher, formerly of 30 Second to Mars. (before I get into this, if you want to listen to the new Angels and Airwaves songs, they are pretty much all HERE)

Delong, although seen as a funnyman while on Blink-182, has a more serious side. He seems a little TOO ambitious when talking about the musical ability of his band. He stated before the release of their debut album “We Don’t Need To Whisper” that the album would be “….the best music made in decades…It sounds like it has the conceptual depth of Pink Floyd, the anthemic architecture of U2..” ugh. U2? Really? You couldn’t think of anything better than the Bono Butt Boys Brigade?

The end result was not that. And the promise Delong made of the “most revolutionary thing in music” when he announced a CGI epic movie that would be based on the songs of the debut album, fell flat on its face. To date there is no movie, no revolution, and no cheeze-its. Although news of the movie is still around, as Delong recently announced that the movie was still in the works, with a documentary on the way as well.

You can’t say that the band doesn’t know how to build hype. Despite Delong pulling a crazy u-turn worthy of Britney Spears and going from Blink drummer Travis Barker to Atom Willard is like going from screwing pre-coke Lindsey Lohan to nailing a buttered bagel, the music was pretty good. And the trailers and music videos they released on their website were pretty damn epic. Too bad it’s all build up and no payoff, like the blow-job I got at the grade 9 Much Music Video dance in the janitors closet.

They aren’t the first the first band to promise some weird whacked out idea that they should score a self made movie. Remember when KISS tried to do some weird conceptual bullshit with Music From “The Elder”? This weird obscure soundtrack led to the movie never being released, because the sales blew. And should I even get into Hanna Montana’s daddy going nuts and calling himself Chris Gaines? Garth Brooks alter ego put out an album that was supposed to be a soundtrack to a fake biopic called “The Lamb.” Thankfully the project tanked and Garth came back to us in all of his Achey’ Breaky’ glory.

Who knows, maybe I’ll eat my words and Angels and Airwaves will become the next Pink Floyd. Or at the very least pre-techo Smashing Pumpkins. I really honest to goodness hope I’m wrong and they do something great, because I am a stupidly huge Blink fan boy, and Plus 44 was a little disappointing. Either way, only time will tell. I’m going to find some damn cheeze-its. PEACE!