We Don't Need To Whisper (studio album) by Angels & Airwaves

WDNTW is beautiful. I think it's Tom's finest album outside of the Blink self-titled and its ability to straddle the line between pop punk and dreampop is quite overlooked.

Sure, there are a few casualties on this record. Distraction and A Little's Enough do nothing for me. However, overall it's a lush album in which Tom shamelessly feasts on his influences (The Cure and U2, in particular) and in the process greatly matures as a songwriter. While Mark & Travis were trying to reiterate their already-established sound with +44, Tom was attempting to evolve his palette.

I feel that I should also mention Whisper's coherence. This record truly does feel like an overarching creation, rather than a sum of its parts (which would end up becoming a problem with later AVA records). While "The Adventure" and "Valkyrie Missile" might be the two finest tracks Tom has ever written, the album as a whole flows very well and is a pleasant experience.

Highlights: The Adventure, Valkyrie Missile, The War

I think too many people listen to music and always expect the lyrics to deliver, while ignoring the actual music itself. This is a band that demands you listen to their melodies, while the lyrics seem to exist just to keep a rhythm. Having said all that, I think these guys are pretty underrated. Maybe it's because some go into it expecting to hear blink-182, and only get a small hint that this is the same guy. If you go into it already accepting that it's a little dumb, you can really enjoy it. They have brilliant hooks that you'll find yourself humming without intention.