Since their formation in 2005, Angels and Airwaves have been a uniqueness all their own in the rock scene. However, after Blink-182’s return on the touring scene, singer/guitarist Tom Delonge’s successful side project seemed to be put on the backburner. Their third studio album Love went all but unnoticed, when released in February 2010. Now, with the time to shine on their own, A&A have released a fourth studio album, Love: Part 2, which was released on November 11, 2011.
Although the album was released nearly two years after the first, Love: Part 2 is exactly what was expected. Tom Delonge’s constant and lengthy explanations of the Love albums paint them as two pieces of a puzzle that are simply supposed to stick together, and with the second installment of these albums, so to speak, it did just that. It feels more like a continuation of the same concept, rather than a progression of musical sound and style. The band will always hold credit for bringing a breath of fresh air into the “space rock” genre, which holds such characteristics as astronomical or science fiction lyrical themes, usage of organs, and synthesizers. However appreciative we are of this unique style of music, Angels and Airwaves themselves have stayed comfortably within their means with this album, and do not have much to show concerning their growth as musicians. The song “Dry Your Eyes” carries almost the exact same melody and chorus of “Everything’s Magic”, a single off 2007’s I-Empire. Another such case of slight repetitiveness in melody is the track “Anxiety” precedes, entitled “My Heroine (It’s Not Over)”. Despite these small flaws in melody structure, there are various new ideas in some cases of songs; such as “All That We Are”, with its echoing of vocals and haunting tone, and even “Anxiety”, which despite its slight flaws, is a much developed song, and a big step into a possible newer sound of A&A, as well as their first single off the album; a perfect choice.
Although Love: 2 is pretty much just another Angels & Airwaves record in its entirety, it continues to shed some new light into the realm of space rock; a genre that, with Angels & Airwaves around, will not be dying out anytime soon.