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

The Dream Walker - Angels & Airwaves

It's been three years since we last heard new music from Angels & Airwaves and they have officially broken their silence. AvA released their fourth studio album, "The Dream Walker," today. AvA is most well-known because of frontman Tom DeLonge, who is guitarist/vocalist of Blink 182. The album is only one-fifth of a multimedia project that includes a short film, novel, comic books, and a graphic novel that follows the journeys of a Dream Walker named Poet Anderson. The short film recently won the Best Animated Short Film Award at the Toronto International Short Film Festival and the album is currently #1 in seven countries.

AvA have always been a band driven by spacey synth sounds and DeLonge's recognizable drawl and this album isn't much different. The album opens with a piano and synth introduction in "Teenagers & Rituals." The blur of time and dates, that a drink or 2, or 3 relieve. I'm not sure if I can get into analyzing the lyrics because DeLonge can be a complicated guy. The first time I heard this song (just under 12 hours ago) I was happy and relieved. I didn't want AvA to dive deep into the use of synths that drown out the vocals and guitars (like the singles, "Paralyzed" and "The Wolfpack") and I wasn't disappointed.

"Paralyzed" and "The Wolfpack" were the two singles of the album and, to be honest, they didn't set my expectations very high. I just wasn't a fan of the sound. The lyrics were thoughtful and deep like many AvA songs, but I couldn't hear them because the synths were too overpowering. If I had to pick, I would say "Paralyzed" is my favorite of the two because it has a catchy chorus and beat. The only music video so far is for "The Wolfpack" and it had nothing to do with how I interpreted the song. Full of animal masks and confused looking people, it was just overall hard to follow. The intro definitely emphasizes the spacey feeling. After looking up the lyrics, I gained a greater respect for each song because DeLonge is truly a lyrical genius. I'm not saying that I don't like these songs since you can still find me singing along to every word, they just weren't my favorite.

DeLonge wrote a lengthy interpretation of "Tunnels" on Facebook that greatly helped how I was able to listen and understand the song. He wrote the verses years ago, which explains why the sound resembles something a little older than the rest of the album. DeLonge stated on his Facebook that he wrote the verses based on a paranormal experience where he woke up and felt his late father's presence. Then two years later, he wrote the chorus about how "something beautiful and epic is on the other side." I'd thank God, but then what is he for? Because I left a few calls at his front door, I'll leave more. I love the high guitar motif in the background - it especially stands out when DeLonge takes a breath and transitions into the next verse/chorus. The last few verses that end with "when you die" is kind of chilling, but like DeLonge said, "there is something beautiful and epic" waiting. Bringing in some religious ideas and even mentioning God is a rare moment in the songs DeLonge writes which is how they seem to pack a bigger meaning.

After a one minute intro of synths, DeLonge breaks out into a fast-paced song, "Mercenaries." The vocals are strained differently which makes the song stand out to me. I feel kind of hypocritical because in a way this song resembles the two singles, yet I really I love this song. When you feel alone, here's a little hand, and a thought 'cause you were on my mind. I've watched countless videos of DeLonge perform (from Blink 182 to AvA to Box Car Racer) and I can tell - if AvA decides to tour - that this will be an amazing song live. I have a picture of what it would look like and I hope it becomes reality one day (even though I'm against the idea of DeLonge performing without a guitar like he usually does with AvA - it just doesn't look natural). Another song that shows a different strain of the vocals and a different energy is "Bullets in the Wind" which I also believe will be a great song to see performed live.

I might have saved the best for last. I don't want to say it's my favorite, because all of the songs are great for their own reasons, but this song I did put on repeat for a few times during the day. "Anomaly" is a very rare kind of AvA song and I'm grateful. The only song I can relate to this is the acoustic version of "The Gift" that is at the end of their first album, "I-Empire." The intro also reminds me of the start of Blink 182's "Boxing Day" - it's a very slowed down, quieter version of the same guitar riffs. I never wanted to say how much I liked you, I never wanted to be one of your sad discoveries. Maybe one of the reasons I love this song is because the lyrics seem relatable. It's a love song, nothing more, nothing less. I never wanted to coast, always wanted to be an anomaly. It's such an unexpected sound from this band. There's no synth whatsoever. It's a perfect ending to the album that parallels the ending of 2007's "I-Empire." My girl, I think I'm in love, it's the scariest place to be alive.

I did leave a few songs out, but I wanted to talk about the few that have stood out to me in the 12 hours that this album has been out. I know I'll probably interpret these songs a bit differently after I see the other adaptions of Poet Anderson's story, but I wanted to get my thoughts about just the album down first. This album only confirmed that DeLonge's voice is possible my favorite voice I have ever heard (which is saying something). There's nothing like it. As much as I love AvA and their current success, I hope DeLonge gets back in the studio with Blink 182 again soon.


xx Nikole