No amount of unoriginality, repetition or rearrangement of songs can deter most Angels & Airwaves fans from the excitement and love of the band's new release, Love, which came out this past Valentine's Day. With the reunion tour of Blink 182, many fans were worried that AvA was either finished, or taking a long break. But two weeks ago, fans were excitedly flooding the band's website to download the new album that they released for free, as a gift.
Same Sound as Previous Albums
Never mind that many songs are rearrangements of other songs, including most flagrantly "Some Origins of Fire," which is note-for-note and beat-for-beat the same song as one of their most beloved songs by fans, "The Adventure" from We Don't Need To Whisper. Also, the chord progression in "Et Ducit Mundum Per Luce" has almost the same progression as the synth notes that echo the voice in the verses of "Good Day," and parts of "Distraction," "Shove," and "Soul Survivor." And again in "Flight of Apollo," the verses have the same progression as those of "Call to Arms." The list continues.
But although there is no change in concept, sound, or tone, many fans are still excited and happy. One posts on lastfm, "AvA could make 10 more albums and I'd still listen to every single one. Don't care that everything they do is somewhat similar because more of a good thing is still a good thing in my opinion!"
The advantage Angels & Airwaves has is that no other band has quite their sound and concept. Where other pop-punk boy bands that sing about heartbreak, being young, and burning cities down lie in a heap of their own genre, AvA has managed to own their identity apart from other bands. Part of this success is due to their name, which has fused with their music so intimately that it's hard to picture AvA music being too different than it is now (though many fans are still waiting for variation).
If there is an award for creating three consecutive, successful albums on the same concept, Angels and Airwaves has won that award.
Successes of Love
Golden moments in the album include the strings in the chorus of "Flight of Apollo," the guitar riff in "Young London," and the synth riff in "Letters to God." The band manages to rework the percussives in each song of Love just enough so that they can stay within their sound while keeping distinct personalities between them.
Besides those moments mentioned above, the most distinct songs include the upbeat and energetic "Hallucinations," the smooth and dulcet "Moon Atomic" and "Clever Love" with soft drums for momentum, and the powerful, perseverent "Soul Survivor."
The band is touring with Say Anything on the west coast at the beginning of April, moving through Canada and the midwest in mid-April, finishing the month/beginning the next month on the east coast, and circling back around to California via southern states by the end of May. They are also involved in several Bamboozle shows.
Elisabeth Sharber - Elisabeth Sharber is a Messiah College graduate with a BA in English, and minors in politics and psychology. She is currently job ...
