Tom DeLonge is an epic kind of guy. He’s a man that has really come from the dumps of life and is now doing things for himself that not many people could even dream of. He’s been part of one of the most renown punk bands of all time (Blink-182), he’s fronted a band that has been the love and salvation of many (Angels & Airwaves), not to mention he founded and is the sole owner of one of the biggest vegan shoe lines today (Macbeth Footwear). He’s even helped produce a concept film this year called “Love” - which is one of the most symbolic and emotionally challenging films I have ever seen. Angels And Airwaves could be described as your typical dreamy band that makes dreamy music with dreamy guitars and dreamy atmospheres. I suppose that’s true, but there’s just one word that doesn’t fit into the equation: typical. Angels And Airwaves are a band whose lyrics inspire and give hope and whose music is touching and unforgettable. Tom’s voice sings in a way that leaves itself hanging in your head the next morning, while the guitars make calming and emotional atmospheres that can make you feel from one emotion to the next. “Breathe” in particular, is a perfect example of this. It’s a song that will really take your breath away and leave you wanting more of where it came from.
If you liked this song, check out: The Adventure (from the “We Don’t Need To Whisper” album) and Sirens (from the “I-Empire” album)
“Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” - Cage The Elephant Genre: Punk Blues
There’s no denying it. When you first heard that guitar, you were instantly caught. Everyone has heard this song at some point in their lives, and if you found this tune to be instantly familiar even though you’ve never heard of Cage The Elephant - it’s just blatant proof that they’ve written the perfect anthem. The badass dirty feeling this song gives you is all thanks to the slimy cowboy groove of the slide guitar courtesy of Lincoln Parish, who runs by the song with just riff after riff of sheer bottleneck awesomeness. Although only released in 2008 the song itself appeared in a lot of different forms of media, including being the standout track to represent the infamous video game Borderlands, and being part of the soundtrack for the 2010 movie The Bounty Hunter. It has a few notable performances in the charts - including a Top 40 Hit in the UK, and #3 in the Billboard US Modern Rock Charts (which is especially impressive since it was re-released in 2009 in the US). The tasteful lyrical title hook of the song “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” was explained by singer Matthew Shultz, who said that back in the days he asked his co-worker why he was a drug dealer, to which his co-worker replied: “ain’t no rest for the wicked”. Because Matt was working in construction at the time, he ended up writing the lyrics to the song on a piece of drywall while he was installing a ceiling. The building is still existent to this day.
If you liked this song, check out: In One Ear (from the “Cage The Elephant” album)
“Threads” - This Will Destroy You
Genre: Post Rock
From nothing to everything - a phrase perfectly fitting for music like this. Although their name may appear intimidating and/or pretentious, This Will Destroy You are certainly neither. They’re a band that dabbles in the beautiful art of pedal effects, atmosphere and instrumentals to voice emotions that not a lot of bands can do anymore. “Threads” in particular creates an atmosphere of quiet sorrow that flows enchantingly, the guitars creating a mood that slowly escalates into something quite powerful and has the feeling of the ultimate extent. But that’s just my interpretation of it. The truth is, This Will Destroy You creates music that is open to the interpretation of anyone. Their music doesn’t have any one meaning - in fact, they leave it up to you to see what you feel when you listen to the sounds they are making. That is again, the beauty of post-rock music. The fact that they don’t have a vocalist might be a deterring factor to those who aren’t familiar with ambience, but I can guarantee that this band doesn’t need one, simply because their guitars do all the singing for them. Truth is, they tried writing music with vocals sung by Jeremy Galindo (the guitarist sitting down) during their formation in 2002 - but they decided that everything sounded awful and didn’t fit in with the rest of the music. Gutted for Jeremy.
If you liked this song, check out: “Your Hand In Mine” by Explosions In The Sky (from the “Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place” album)
