Lifeforms

Angels & Airwaves

Angels & Airwaves are back baby! I'm not sure how receptive blink fans are to Tom's synth heavy, space odyssey epics, but I for one have enjoyed just about every Angels & Airwaves project to date. With singles like Kiss & Tell released back in 2019, I was foaming at the mouth for more. It is instantaneously catchy with the synth arpeggio, tight shots of drum and guitar, and Tom's distinct voice. It kicks in with a nice drum fill from Ilan Rubin and goes right into another fantastic guitar riff. Tom, showing time and time again, that even 30 years into his career, he can still pump out bad ass riffs. I was ready for the new record right then and there, but ultimately had to wait another two years. Lifeforms is finally out and I must say, Tom and company delivered again.

In some of the press I've read, Tom said that he really wanted to make a rockin' record with a lot of bite to it. To a certain extent, I feel like he accomplished that. It is perhaps more aggressive and direct than their space rock debut, but by no means is it heavier than, say, Box Car Racer. There are times where I think the band could've gone a little harder, matched more the energy of tracks like Euphoria and the aforementioned Kiss & Tell. However, the amount of different synth sounds and effects used (which I find typical on just about every AVA record) is so impressive that I don't really find myself missing out. If anything, it makes tracks like Euphoria stand out more with it's almost post-hardcore styled guitar riff. Very much like Kiss & Tell, Euphoria has an absolutely killer, rockin' intro.

Most tracks here conform pretty closely to that established AVA sound, but there are two songs that stand out as far as the sound direction goes. The track No More Guns feels like Tom's homage to My Generation with it's classic british invasion, proto-punk sound. As the title suggests, the song goes into political satire territory; a side of Tom that we never see. Tom sings about being an unstable, possibly substance addicted, American with an itchy trigger finger that goes out at night to inflict harm on his fellow man. The other track that is a bit of a sound detour is Automatic; a heavy piece of The Cure worship. It's got the synth pads, the 80s styled drums, strummed acoustic guitar, and the chorused lead melody. It's not the first time Tom has played around with this sound, but it is the first in the context of AVA. This song actually reminds me of the song Even If She Falls which was one of my favourites on blink's Neighbourhoods.

Whenever there's a new Tom project, a point of contention is often the vocals. Many have said Tom's voice has fallen way off since blink's hay day, and while I don't think he has as strong a voice as he did back in the day (you'd be hard pressed to find a vocalist still sounding like they did 20-25 prior), I still think his voice is incredibly distinct and he sounds good. On this record in particular, I find Tom is really pushing himself. I mean, he is practically belting on the chorus of Euphoria. On A Fire In a Nameless Town, Tom delivers quite honestly one of his strongest, most soulful vocal performances yet, and that's not by punk rock standards. While I can see Tom is pushing himself, there are just a few stumbles. Tom appears to struggle just a little bit riding the chorus of Losing My Mind due to his attempts to really dig in and add some grit to those lines. On Restless Soul, the verses get a little wordy causing things to sometimes get jumbled. Tom will either slur words together, or swallow them down. Singing words that fast with the necessary amount of clarity is very difficult. Maybe those sections could have used a re-write.

The only other thing that slightly rubbed me the wrong way was a common lyrical theme of the pursuit of a 'damaged,' 'broken,' 'vulnerable,' 'little' girl and how (lets say) Tom can save them with his companionship. The lyrics are not super creepy, but some choice words and the frequency with which they pop up throughout the record make me wince just a little. At the very least, Euphoria offers a little redemption as the 'girl' portrayed in the lyrics goes on to exact revenge on her past abusers. Or, at least, that's how I interpreted the lyrics.

That about covers my thoughts on this record. Pretty great alternative rock record with heavy, but creative, use of synths. Songs are very catchy and the tracklist does have a few great musical detours. Of the songs that stick to the typical AVA formula, nothing felt rehashed except for maybe Restless Souls which at times felt like recycled parts from the Love album. It's always a pleasure hearing stuff from Tom. He continues to put out quality projects with a high attention to production detail and great, exciting instrumental performances. Now if only we don't have to wait seven years for the next full-length.