To The Stars... Demos, Odds, and Ends / Tom DeLonge

The anticipation for Tom DeLonge's solo album came to an end on Monday, April 20 when "To The Stars... Demos, Odds, and Ends" was released through DeLonge's multimedia company titled To The Stars. The album consists of eight songs, some of which DeLonge admitted to be demos for blink-182. Personally, I was nervous to find out what DeLonge had produced, even though I knew I would love it like I love all of his projects. The eight songs are diverse in sound, and I almost feel like the listeners got cheated. Quantity-wise, it isn't much of an album as much as it is a long EP, including one instrumental song and two songs that barely scrape the two minute mark. However, what it lacks in quantity makes up in quality. I hear influences from both of DeLonge's two major bands - blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves. The techno/spacey vibes can be heard in "New World" and the instrumental "Landscapes" while there are heavy blink tones in "Circle-Jerk-Pit" and especially "Golden Showers in the Golden State." I'll be honest and admit this isn't my favorite album that DeLonge has worked on, but this and his reactions towards the situation with blink-182 gave an interesting perspective on his talent and future in the band.

The album begins with the first song DeLonge released around a month ago with a music video titled "New World." The vocals come off as pristine, and I only wish that DeLonge could take the emotion and clarity of his vocals in the studio and bring them to the stage. Like I will mention when I get to "The Invisible Parade," I enjoyed this song more when I wasn't watching the music video. I'm still quite confused on the message DeLonge was trying to get across as he smashed a guitar, drum set and other instruments. The reason I claim to believe this is more of an AvA song is because of the guitar in particular. DeLonge has a different style playing guitar in AvA compared to blink, but I'm not quite sure how to explain it.

"An Endless Summer" is one of my favorite tracks on the album. The intro captures your attention, and the synths carry DeLonge's style of recording. The chorus is easy to catch on to with carefree yet meaningful lyrics. The drums tend to be disguised in the background, and I can't help but to be curious on what Travis Barker could have brought to the table for this song in particular.

"Suburban Kings" is much like a sequel to "Rite of Spring" (one of my favorite AvA songs) on AvA's album "I-Empire." DeLonge refers to himself in third person ("Tommy") in the first and second verses that offered a look into the musician's life. Mother's got a thing for praying, but God is going to hate my band. Tommy wants a life of purpose, Tommy has some dreams to plan. The backing vocals during the pre-chorus are one of my favorite parts because it helps build up the actual chorus which gives the song an anthem quality.

It isn't too often that fans get an acoustic song from DeLonge. "The Invisible Parade" is a song dedicated to DeLonge's brother, a Navy lieutenant who served in Iraq. The song carries heavy lyrics that talk about war beginning and ending and then finally coming home, all told from a soldier's perspective. DeLonge's voice is more subdued, and his unique accent in his vocals are last profound which add to the seriousness of the tune. I find this song the most soothing on the album, and I can probably listen to it for hours. Much like "New World," I would much rather listen to this song by itself than watch DeLonge walk by himself in the street and abandon areas with his broken guitar like he does in the music video.

The deep lyrics and acoustic guitar are ditched for the most punk song on the album - "Circle-Jerk-Pit." It wasn't a favorite to begin with, but it ended up growing on me. There's a shift at the 1:15 mark where the loud, shouting vocals are changed to a more sing-songy tone which then changes back to a loud repetition of Are you ready?! Whatcha gonna do?! As soon as I heard this song, the first thing I thought of was "My First Punk Song" by Box Car Racer (another DeLonge side project in the early 2000s). The guitar and the vocals in the beginning are almost identical - the main feature that distinguishes "Circle-Jerk-Pit" is towards the second half of the song when the tone of the vocals change.

The album once again transitions into something softer with "Landscapes" that reminds me of a beginning or ending to AvA's "Love" albums. There is some talking going on behind the synths and the "space-y" sounds, but it isn't very clear what he is saying. I feel like this is definitely one of the "Odds and Ends" that didn't make an AvA album cut.


From what reviews of the album I have read so far, "Animals" is probably the most underrated out of the eight songs. The song begins with a quiet I can run, but I can't hide spoken lyric. It sounds like DeLonge included a three layers of vocals in the chorus which adds to this misty, light atmosphere the song seems to contain. The synths are also unique in this song, adding some special quality that separates "Animals" from the others.

DeLonge hinting at a new song in March 2013
which turned out to be "Golden Showers in the
Golden State."

The album wouldn't be complete without a song from DeLonge showing his timeless humor. This was without a doubt a song meant for blink. "Golden Showers in the Golden State" features DeLonge's classic jokes, but the chorus is one of the catchiest choruses on the album - especially when DeLonge's vocals peak when he sings CalifORNia. The guitar and drums are fun and upbeat, a great finish to the album. (Fun fact: DeLonge actually posted a sneak peak of the lyrics to this song on his Instagram in March 2013.)







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I have been living and breathing this album since the second it dropped. I've always admired Tom as a performer and musician. I know there has been a whirlwind of drama with blink, but I hope Tom never stops making music (actually I tweeted something similar to this, which we favorited and made me a very happy person). I'm looking forward to the future and what it holds for Tom and blink-182.


Until next time,
Nikole