I’ve been wanting to do a blog over some of the latest albums that I have purchased, so in this blog I’m going to give you my breakdown on the latest album from Angels and Airwaves, I-Empire, which was released on October 23, 2007.

Angels and Airwaves: I-Empire

I-Empire is the sophomore album from former Blink 182 guitarist/vocalist, Tom DeLonge and his latest group. Members include guitarist/vocalist DeLonge, former Box Car Racer guitarist David Kennedy, former Offspring drummer Atom Willard, and former 30 Seconds to Mars bassist Matt Watcher. Angels and Airwave’s I-Empire is a very impressive feat in its own right simply because it was released just over a year from its predecessor, We Don’t Need to Whisper, the bands debut album.

Angels and Airwaves’ We Don’t Need to Whisper was like a very well blended cup of musical coffee. Consisting of members from various bands and various styles of music, Angels and Airwaves delivered a sound reminiscent of U2’s atmosphere while throwing conceptual lyrics and melodic harmonies into the blend. You could say that the album’s tone was an overall mixture of U2’s atmosphere and Blink 182’s catchiness with a hint of Pink Floyd. Their debut album was a surprising smash that attracted not only former Blink 182 fans but also captured the liking of many critics with its ambient atmosphere, tight rhythm, themed lyrics (love and war) and melodic choruses. The only draw back that many people had with Angels and Airwaves’ debut album was Tom DeLonge’s distinct voice. Some people like his semi-whining tone and the way he overemphasizes his words, yet others hate it. But one thing is for certain. Whether you like DeLonge’s voice or not, he has definitely improved as a vocalist from his Blink-182 days due in large part to the passion and maturity that he pours into Angels and Airwaves. The vast array of instrumental and vocal effects that Angels and Airwaves uses in their songs doesn’t hurt either.

So where does I-Empire lie in contrast to the debut album We Don’t Need to Whisper? The answer is: almost the exact same spot. I-Empire continues to carry a similar sound to We Don’t Need to Whisper as well as continuing with the band’s epic themes of love and war. The album starts off strong with the tracks “Call to Arms” and “Everything’s Magic” which both feature up-beat tempos and catchy choruses. Their current single, “Sirens,” also happens to be the best song on the album and will leave you singing the chorus line “I do this from time to time…” over and over again. Despite the album starting off strong, it tends to weaken in the middle on tracks “True Love” (8) and “Jumping Rooftops” (10) which both contain extended intros that sound good yet grow a tad tedious and a bit repetitive.

Tom DeLonge must have had writing fever because the band started working on the new record during the beginning of 2007 and by May DeLonge said that it was nearly 75 percent complete. Because of having such a short break from the release of their debut album and from touring I-Empire sounds more like a continuation of We Don’t Need to Whisper than it does a separate album. However, in contrast, DeLonge’s lyrics pack in much deeper meanings this time around. The track “Right of Spring” follows DeLonge as he recalls his sub-par childhood memories and break-up with ex-Blink 182 member and good friend Mark Hoppus. In the song “Secret Crowds,” DeLonge emphasizes his politics and heart-felt ambition to make the world a better, safer place.

If you were a fan of We Don’t Need to Whisper then you will absolutely feel right at home by buying I-Empire. Despite the lack of originality of its predecessor, I-Empire does elaborate on the formula of creating a genuine listening experience featuring great instrument effects, solid song layouts, and epic melodies. Overall, this is a great alternative rock album, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something uplifting and atmospheric. As always, thanks for reading.

Dillon (D-dub)

WARNING– POSSIBLE SPOILERS

Recently I discovered a very funny fan-made short film series called “I’m a Marvel, I’m a DC,” which parodies the Mac/PC TV commercials. These videos, created by Michael Agrusso and a lady who simply calls herself Brina poke fun at recent DC films and use action figure versions of Marvel characters to tell DC characters why their films are so much better. There is a kind of continuity that flows through the videos, where “reality” is what happens in the comics but the characters are all aware of their films. The first video features Superman trying to tell Spider-Man all of the DC films that are “in the works,” only to reveal that none of the proposed films (Flash, Wonder Woman, etc) have actually made it into production yet. Spider-Man then depresses him by mentioning all the upcoming Marvel movies that are actually being made.

The first film was made just before Superman Returns came out and several have been produced and released since then. There are well over an hour’s worth of these to enjoy on-line right now. Agrusso isn’t afraid to write for the other side occasionally, though. He can’t help but admit that Batman Begins did know what it was doing, and so Batman is often putting Spider-Man in his place. In his first appearance, the video opens as usual; Spider-Man says, “I’m a Marvel,” Superman says, “I’m a DC,” but then Batman says, “I’m Batman.” He gets his own classification, as it should be.

The production is slim, just guys holding figures and moving them around by their feet. Occasionally fingers even pop up in the shot. But who cares? The writing is very witty and the video is well-edited. The voice acting is surprisingly professional. I’m not sure what these people do for a living, but it sounds like two guys (Agrusso and someone else) do most of the voicing, at least four or five characters a piece, and their impressions are quite good. I especially like the Ian McKellen Magneto impression. As the series progresses, all the points a comic film nut will geek out over are brought up– Wolverine is angry that Spider-Man stole his director, Punisher wants his old actor back, and Spider-Man can’t understand why his last movie got so many bad ratings.

The later set of videos, called Marvel/DC: After Hours even have an entertaining plot arc, where Lex Luthor tries to go back in time and kill Stan Lee so the Marvel Universe will never exist and Superman will remain the world’s favorite hero so his movies will be better. Even as these videos start looking more like episodes of a comic book cartoon series, they remain a comedy and continue taking stabs at the movies.

Even though they have a home-video feel, these videos have managed to gain surprising success. They are featured on Marvel.com’s video section and they’re, of course, nothing but good press for Marvel. As Marvel keeps turning out movies, I’m looking forward to seeing what new episodes these guys come up with, and I’d like to see them writing for real Hollywood projects at some point. This series proves that good writing and talent is everything, no matter what budget you’re working with.

LLAP

-Cap’n Logan