9.23.2008

Angels and Airwaves: We Don't Need to Whisper

A few months ago, someone sent a postcard to Post Secret that read "Angels and Airwaves renewed my faith in God and love." Needless to say, when I saw We Don't Need to Whisper at the EPFL the week after that secret ran, I had to check it out.

Angels and Airwaves didn't renew my faith in God or love, but they certainly did restore my faith that a big and commercial band could possess nearly everything that makes rock music so incredible.

Music: 4 EPFL library cards out of a possible 5
This is a perfect album, in the same way that Titanic was a perfect movie. It's not breaking new ground, it's a little simplistic, and all the snobs will dismiss it as commercial crap; but it's well-done, it connects with its audience, and it functions on an incredibly human level. Every single song is well-written and memorable, and the performances contain a good amount of subtle creativity. Most of all, though, despite all the big names and the glamour and the glitz, it's got heart. And heart, my friends, is what makes rock music perfect.

Packaging: 2 EPFL library cards out of a possible 5
I'm not really sure how a dude floating through space while holding an umbrella relates to WWII fighter jets, and I'm not sure how any of it relates to angels, airwaves, or the combination of the two. Frankly, the artwork smells a bit too much like a Styx cover for my tastes, but hey, it's a mighty good cover if you're into that Styxy (Styxie? Stygian?) kind of thing. The lyrics are included, which is good but probably unnecessary since I was pretty much singing along with every song by my second pass through the album.

Listen if you like: Blink 182 songs like "Down" or "I Miss You" (Blink vocalist Tom DeLonge is the man behind A∓A), U2, Foo Fighters

If it were food, it'd be: A Granny Smith apple: a simple, unique, and tasty snack that is sure to annoy foodies.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Titanic a perfect movie?

taotechuck said...

Yeah, for what it is. Perfect compared to The Godfather? Of course not. But when compared to the typical romance/drama that comes out of Hollywood, Titanic is sheer genius.

This isn't Dark Side or Sgt. Pepper's, but it's better than anything that a tripe commercial band like Nickelback or Staind will ever release. It's mainstream, but it's mainstream with creativity and heart.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I'm not knocking the album. I've never listened to it, nor even heard of it. And while I understand why you used Titanic to illustrate your point, I guess I just take issue with Titanic being perfect, from any perspective. And yes, without ever having heard it, it's probably better than Nickelfuckers anyday -- if only because I haven't heard it.

Anonymous said...

I saw that secret on PostSecret aswell, and the person who wrote it was actually referring to their second album I-Empire as the art for their secret was made from the album art from I-Empire.

See here:
http://i44.tinypic.com/2jcvcjp.jpg