Why-Empire?

Alright first off: The album isn't that bad. Secondly: It could be a LOT better folks. Tom DeLonge and his power-prog quartet Angels And Airwaves have released their second studio album 'I-Empire'. At first the album rings with promise with upbeat and lighthearted 'Call To Arms' which bridges the gap between albums nicely, retaining the signature AvA epic and reverbed sound but with a stripped down edge. ie: You can hear the slides on the guitars and the actual snare drums being hit. The upbeat edge continues on with the catchy and rather heartwarming 'Everything's Magic', the first single from the album which relies on a snappy rhythm and hooky riff to keep the listener interested before a very delayed and reverbed guitar takes over. Dear, dear, Tom. Looks like we haven't learned our lesson. There's just something about that Americana/Springsteen wannabe attitude of those effects that let the album down and kind of echo with pretentiousness. Power ballads are abound in this album with 'Breathe' following third down the listing. A slow and nauseating drippy piece of power pop running in at just under 6 minutes. Please, Tom. Spare us the love songs and play some rock and roll. Lyrics such as 'I will love you. Until the end of time.' only hamper the promise of this band and leave them leagues behind their contemporaries such as 30 Seconds To Mars and +44 who are winning the race of best newcomers.
Highlights, though, include 'Secret Crowds' which is by far the strongest song on the album and sums up the concept of Tom's ego nicely. 'If I had my own world I'd build you an empire...'
It is the most 'rock and roll' of the pack, similar in ways to 'The War' from their first album, though again the glitchy drum effects and heavy phaser and reverb effects pull the song way down and undermine its potential.
The heavy delays and reverb and echos are to be found in 'True Love' which feels like 'Valkyrie Missile: Part Deux' in structure and tonality. An interesting track on the album, 'Jumping Rooftops' is reminiscent of industrial electro-pop in the vein of Godhead and NIN, though in-keeping with some of Tom's earlier endeavours with Box Car Racer.
The last track in the album, 'Heaven', seems somewhat confused and out of place if both albums are regarded as two parts of one larger story, as it has the air of something ending rather than beginning. In all honesty it wraps both albums up nicely with snippets of 'The Adventure' being heard in the background of the opening synth solo and adds a sense of nostalgia to the track. The lyrics 'If you're curious, please stay' couldn't be more appropriate as an address to critics, fans and the world alike. If you want to see what AvA has to offer, then stick around because all in all this is a pretty decent album, although I have the feeling that Tom is starting to find his ground and move away from his days with Blink and Box Car. If only he could stop with the synths, guitar delays and reverb/echo effects then his work might sound a little less fake and digitised and a little more rock and roll.