We Don't Need to Whisper

In the mood for a quick detour out of the land of hard rock, I took to Google and after a few searches I found myself at this alternative gem.

Album: We Don't Need to Whisper
Artist: Angels and Airwaves

When I first started into this record, I had no idea I was stumbling upon such a great number of connections to other bands I know and love. Namely, the vocalist is Tom DeLonge of Blink-182, the drummer is Ilan Rubin formerly of Nine Inch Nails and Lostprophets, and the bassist is Matt Wachter formerly of 30 Seconds to Mars (although he was not in the band at the time this album was recorded - he joined about a year later). Not to mention, their guitarist David Kennedy is from a number of different bands himself, they're just ones that I hadn't heard of before. But needless to say, I'm more than a little disappointed in myself that it took me as long as it did to give Angels and Airwaves a listen.

To paint you a quick picture of their sound on this album, imagine if you will combining the electronic sound of Nine Inch Nails, the punk drumming of Blink-182 and the overall upbeat rock vibe of Lostprophets with the ambient synthesizing of 30 Seconds to Mars. Although those stylistic influences aren't consistent by any means, the idea is that there are a lot of interesting elements that have been combined here to varying degrees for a unique alternative sound that has callbacks to some of the bands that the individual members hail from.

Some standout tracks include;
• The War
• The Adventure
• It Hurts
• Start the Machine
• Distraction

Although the presence of Delonge's distinct voice gives off a strong Blink-182 vibe throughout, this album is truly a standalone masterpiece. All the small things were done in great detail and the work put into every aspect shows through absolutely brilliantly. The songs are catchy, but not overbearingly so, which lends itself to a record you might want to come back to time and time again.