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“We’re on a mission for something new/this is the scariest thing I’ve ever done”…coming through the airwaves are Tom Delonge’s fictional characters inspired by real WWII pilots explaining their hope that fights their fear of embarking on a journey alone, self reflective of Delonge’s personal voyage free from Blink 182. Heavy stuff yes, but valid as ‘WDNTW’ is Delonge’s take on creating a concept album, and the emotional baggage on this album is heavy as hell.
Stating that they created the mood for recording this album by watching Kubrick’s ‘2001’and pasting pictures from Stephen Ambrose’s WWII books in the studio- the band would be horrified by the pictures of people dying and cities burning yet become inspired by the “endless hope of space”, then would go and write a love song. Sounds dark and gloomy, but the message is one of hope from Delonge’s corner. Describing that this album is all about screaming "I want to be alive", Angels And Airwaves have tried to create an album that is uplifting yet moody at the same time, but more often than not the idea that he is trying to get across is overshadowed by its dark undertones.
‘Valkyrie Missile’ kicks off the album with said characters talking over an intercom whilst some seriously dark industrial beats are contrasted to some fancy noodling by Tom on the guitar, and is one of the most elevating tracks on the record as the guitars stir and Tom’s voice is no longer drop jaw punk but that of an accomplished singer. Dripping with U2 licks and with a pinch of the strokes formula, ‘Valkyrie Missile’ is definitely one of the highlights as it is gentle yet loud at the same time, like nothing he has done before. With other great tunes in the form of ‘Do It For Me Now’, that showcase Tom’s love for his new echo pedal and his new penchant for overly mature lyrics, it is a song that definitely grows as it’s keyboards and fake orchestra take some getting used to.
New single currently surfing the airwaves ‘The Adventure’ spelt something very different for Delonge and held a candle of hope that he could pull something brilliant off, but after this song kicks in, it just doesn’t stand out anymore as the music becomes tiresome as recycled riffs and samey lyrics are now evident, thus the album turns badly. Sure ‘The Adventure’ is as fantastic as it is moving, but the listener has already had a hint of lost patience as everything is starting to sound the same. Whether it is for continuity or he wants a running theme throughout besides the evident anti-war statement, the album starts to mould into one.
Glimmer of hope ‘A Little’s Enough’ changes things up a bit with ‘Big Country’-esque guitars, and a slightly different formula from the rest of the album, yet that same riff does pop up again. Although Delonge’s direction is one of hope, the dark undertones of this song blur the good message as the music brings the listener down rather than empowering them to go and ask someone out. The powerhouse of the album ‘The War’ is heavy as hell, sounding a little like ‘Down’ mixed with ‘Stay Together For The Kids’ yet with huge guitars and massive vocals. Definitely the pinnacle of the album is everything changes for a minute as this song is completely different from anything on the record, and the last song that sounds diverse to everything else as the themes in ‘We Don’t Need To Whisper’ is constantly recycled.
Overall ‘We Don’t Need To Whisper’ is a strong album, from someone who you would expect to deliver a strong album. It is a brave step for Delonge as it is different from Box Car Racer and Blink 182, but given the reigns for an entire album seems to have possibly been a bad choice this early into the mourning period of Blink breaking up, as Delonge’s ideas are all very samey and his point doesn’t get across very easily. An overly dark album disguising the fact that he is trying to help people stand up and shout ‘I’m Alive’.
