Week One of 52 Albums in 52 weeks starts us of with The Dream Walker by Angels And Airwaves. Here's what we had to say.
Mike: As an avid Blink-182 fan I will admit I have some resentment towards Angels & Airwaves for breaking up the band during the mid 2000s, but since they have reunited and released some great stuff since, I can get over it. This record was pretty good in my eyes but this could have been the best release ever heard by human ears and I don't think it would reach the hype Tom DeLonge put behind it. He hyped Halloween for months, for that just to be the day they announce when the record will actually be released? Come on bro don't fake everyone out.
I have multiple album's of theirs in my library but after going through them, they rarely made me want to The Dream Walker delivers their best material in my opinion. "Teenagers and Rituals" sets a really good pace for the record, and the rest of the songs don't fall far behind. "The Wolfpack" is my favorite song on the record with really cool synths and a great hook. This also continues the pattern of all my favorite songs by the band starting with "The". Honorable mentions go out to "Tunnels", "Mercenaries", and "Bullets in the Wind". I find very few dull moments, though I wouldn't say that it is overly exciting. I feel like it still very much fits into the template of what I would expect an AVA record to sound like, atmospheric and aggressive, but does so better than any of their earlier works.
Alex: This is an album which had been announced over a year prior to its release and, although I am not personally very invested in AVA, I can imagine the euphoria of fans upon its release. After listening to it a jaw-dropping three different times, I feel very confident in my official expert opinion (my opinion is neither of those things). My expert opinion, in as technical and pretentious terms as I can find, is that this is a pretty solid record. It boasts great atmospheric presence with a sound that consistently offers something new to discover after more than one listen. Guitars and synthesizers commingle in the background and serve as a compelling environment for Tom DeLonge’s distinct vocals. The vocals in this album offer many cool melodies as well as clever earworms which you can catch yourself humming for some time after listening to them. My favorite track I do admit, however, that I very nearly did not listen to it. This being due to the fact that the release was dragged out for such a long time. For me this album was hindered by the hype it received. However, to not listen to it on those grounds, I feel, would be to miss out on an above average record. While I would not list this as one of my favorite albums of the previous year, this album is definitely one that I will listen to again and makes me want to listen to other releases by Angels & Airwaves.
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