It's three days after Valentine's Day. Are you still love drunk, smelling the beautiful roses sent to you by a boyfriend, smiling as you stare at the adorable stuffed bear reading "I Love You Bear-y Much!" across his chest? Or are you still recovering from a chocolate overdose resulting from an attempt to drown the sorrows of your single life with sugar? But no matter your current state of mind or relationship status, it is possible to find happiness with "Love," the newest album from Angels & Airwaves.
The CD is the third album by the alternative rock band started by Blink-182 vocalist Tom DeLonge. It begins with an instrumental piece, "Et Ducit Mundum Per Luce" ("He Leads The World Through Light"). Although it has no words, the song provides an excellent introduction to the album's space-like, almost haunting sound. The guitar and drums steadily increase in intensity, segueing nicely into the rest of the album.
The progressive, space rock feel to the album fits appropriately with the album, which provides the soundtrack to the band's similarly titled movie. "Love" is scheduled for release in April 2010. According to DeLonge, the movie "centers on an astronaut who is stranded in a space station as the Earth collapses," but in truth the movie seems to be more than that. Through an astronaut stranded on the International Space Station, the movie explores the human need for connection.
After the opening instrumental piece, the album takes off, launching into a number of moving, lyrical songs. One of the best songs of the album is "Hallucinations," the first single, which the band released in October 2009. The song begins with a good percussive beat and rising guitar chords as it asks, "Do you believe in hallucinations, steady dreams, or imaginations?"
Even without knowing the premise of the movie that the song accompanies, it is easy to imagine yourself floating through the cosmos, past brilliantly colored galaxies and nebulae while listening to this song. The rhythm and lyrics combine to make the song a calming one, perfect for de-stressing after a day of tests.
The introductions and conclusions to the songs, though instrumental, are exceptional. Ranging from a few seconds to a minute, the segments add greatly to the cosmic sound of the album, providing segues from song to song.
Other fantastic tracks from the album are "Young London" and "Shove." "Young London" starts out fast and powerful, with strong percussion. It is a beautifully written and recorded call for its listeners to live for today, saying, "Suit up, boys, let's ride, it's the weekend. Get down, girls, and dance with your best friend."
"Shove" also starts out strong, echoing a similar sentiment. It calls to those in love to really enter into it wholeheartedly, to accept the headfirst fall, for it "can be so bold and so cavalier." It has a rhythmic, almost electronic feel, but it works with the lyrics and in combination with the rest of the album.
The album itself is an excellent one, although the tracks tend to blend together slightly. Each one has a similar feel, and each deals in some way with the concept or idea of love. However, the tracks themselves stand out from each other in subtle ways. Also, considering the album is almost a movie soundtrack, it works that the songs are alike in sound and theme. Even with the similar sounds, the album is excellent, easy to listen to and appropriate for almost occasion.
"Love" is a free album. It is available for download online on ModLife.
