Lackluster Returns From Once-Loved Bands

The Hives: The Black and White Album
Ever since their breakthrough stateside with 2000’s Veni Vedi Vicious, The Hives have been a righteous musical tour de force. With their seemingly effortless fusion of unhinged garage rock and infectious pop hooks, they continue to dominate the modern-rock airwaves with every new production. Nov. 13 saw the release of The Black and White Album, a nearly exact replication of the tried-and-true formulae from Veni Vedi Vicious and 2004’s Tyrannosaurus Hives. The majority of The Black and White Album, especially such standouts as the first single “Tick Tick Boom,” “You Got It All Wrong,” and “Won’t Be Long,” do well to retain the reckless abandon that has always made The Hives so much fun. For better or for worse, however, the sonic rawness of the band’s earlier albums has been displaced by a cleaner feel. In an extension of this (intentionally) updated sound, the band includes such confusing and surprising tracks as “T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.” and “Giddy Up!” which tread some sort of balance between funk, rock, and pop anthem. Though no true fan would likely claim these songs as favorites, they do manage to serve as interesting diversions from the otherwise one-dimensional character of that distinctive Hives sound. Evolution? Devolution? Don’t think too much about it—just listen, because it is yet another fun, spunky effort from the Swedes.
—Reid Sandelands

Angels and Airwaves: I-Empire
When Tom DeLonge, former guitarist and singer of Blink-182, compared his new project, Angels and Airwaves, to bands like U2 and Pink Floyd, he left some of his fans with high expectations and many others with significant doubts. Upon the debut of Angels and Airwaves’ first album, We Don’t Need to Whisper, many observers wondered if they were hearing the same thing DeLonge was hearing. Many thought DeLonge had made a decent record, but nothing that was a particularly legendary collection of songwriting. After the release of their second album, I-Empire, on Nov. 6, this reviewer couldn’t help but feel the same way.

As a longtime fan of DeLonge’s work with Blink-182, undoubtedly one of the biggest bands of the ’90s, I recognize him as a talented musician and am more than willing to give credit where it is due. Initially, DeLonge intrigued audiences with We Don’t Need to Whisper. The fresh guitar effects, catchy synthesizers, and dramatic instrumental crescendos, like those in “Valkyrie Missile” and “The Adventure,” created a sort of spacey feel unique to the Angels and Airwaves sound.

From the very first track, “Call to Arms,” it is obvious that I-Empire represents an extension of that approach, complete with the same overwhelming spacey guitar parts, a marching snare, and a pounding bass drum—all before DeLonge even begins to chime in with his distinctive vocals. Probably the most irresistible and memorable track on the band’s first album, “Everything’s Magic,” featured techniques noticeably similar to those heard in “Call to Arms” and many other songs on the collection. The chorus is driven by a tight guitar riff loaded with cleverly-placed delay. The song’s lyrics, however, as well as those of many others on the CD, are typical post-Blink DeLonge. Portraying himself as almost larger-than-life, DeLonge sings, “Just sit back and hold on, but hold on tight. Prepare for the best and the fastest ride.”

Another catchy track, and what will likely soon be a fan favorite, is “Sirens,” which opens with a Blink-esque riff and continues with a pop-punk chorus that sounds a lot more like Blink than Angels and Airwaves. Although these do provide us with vintage DeLonge hooks, many other songs are sure to disappoint. “Breathe” and “Lifeline,” the third and ninth tracks, respectively, have interesting new intros with piano and wind instruments, but the majority of I-Empire is overshadowed by DeLonge’s dramatic lyrics and whiny voice—which, when singing about matters of such magnitude and spirituality as he does throughout the record, is hard to take seriously.
In the end, I-Empire suffers from the same disease as the band’s first album: although there are some cool instrumental sequences and an occasional chorus that may stick in your head, the overall product is good, but not great. Perhaps the major problem that Tom is having with making a true success out of Angels and Airwaves is that everyone remembers what his old band sounded like. One of the most endearing aspects of Blink-182 was the perfect combination of not just DeLonge’s voice, but also the voice of his old buddy Mark Hoppus. Since I remain a huge Blink fan and thus, naturally, a huge DeLonge fan, I want him to keep writing music. But the next time I hear his music, I hope more than anything that he will do so with his old friends from Blink-182. —Daniel Gray

Backstreet Boys: Unbreakable
Once upon a time, preteen pop-music fans were divided into two opposing camps: Backstreet Boys fans and ’N Sync fans. Well, we can consider the recent release of the Backstreet Boys’ Unbreakable to be a victory for the “BSB 4eva!” crowd. Though ’N Sync disbanded years ago, the Backstreet Boys are still churning out perfectly good pop music—nothing more, nothing less. Although the group is down one member (Kevin Richardson left in 2006), the Backstreet Boys still offer enough multi-layered harmonies and cheesy lyrics to please anyone with a sense of late-’90s nostalgia. For loyal BSB fans (yes, they do exist), Unbreakable marks a refreshing return to the Backstreet Boys’ roots after 2005’s guitar-driven Never Gone. The upbeat “Everything But Mine” sounds like it could have come straight off the massively successful Millenium (1999), as does “One in a Million.” But the group has also made concessions to current trends in adult contemporary music. While songs like “Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon” and “Helpless When She Smiles” are sweet and easy to listen to, they’re much less glossy than the music you loved (or hated) back in middle school. This album certainly has some missteps—”Trouble Is,” for example, would make more sense on a pop-country album than on a Backstreet Boys album. But the Backstreet Boys have managed to put together a decent album of their signature, sugarcoated pop music, despite a pop-music landscape that doesn’t really have room for them anymore. Take that, ’N Sync fans.
—Amanda Sebba