Review: Angels and Airwaves ‘We Don’t need to Whisper’

Hi

Angels and Airwaves (AVA) is the super-group founded by Blink 182’s Tom DeLonge.  Other current members include David Kennedy (Box Car Racer), former 30 Seconds to Mars guitarist Matt Watcher and Ilan Rubin from Nine Inch Nails.  When ‘We Don’t need to Whisper came out they had a slightly different line up – with Ryan Sinn on bass and Atom Willard (The Offspring) on drums.  Angels and Airwaves is more of multimedia project – they have released several films based around the albums – than a traditional band. 

(Start the Machine)

‘We Don’t Need to Whisper’ was released in 2006 and is the bands first work.   I first heard it a year later, because I liked a single from their then soon to be released second album ‘I Empire’.   I suppose the best way to describe how AVA sound on ‘We Don’t need to Whisper’ is spacey alternative rock.  Their music is very uplifting, and I’ve always liked how it is both exciting and relaxing at the same time.  I found Angels and Airwaves refreshing, because at the time a lot of rock acts were writing dark, emotionally charged works.  I also fell in love with this album because it tells a story – it’s not just about creating hit singles.  ‘We Don’t need to Whisper’ is concise, and conveys the story of two people falling in love in the middle of a war.  There are no names given to the characters, but it is evident that there is a narrative in play for example in ‘Distraction’  

My favourite song is ‘Start the Machine’ because it is climax of the album, and is quite unique in the sense that the opening features the use of a piano for children.  The lyrics are about the human cost of war – such as children – and how the characters won’t give up with their lives just because of the war.  At least I think so... Angles and Airwaves leave a lot to be interpreted.  Which is as the Americans would say is ‘awesome’.   

‘We Don’t need to Whisper’ is a strong album, and a good introduction to Angels and Airwaves.  In my opinion it is an okay album, but is not as good as some of their more recent records.