By Anthony Benigno

Life after fart jokes has been a bit of a rough one for Tom DeLonge; his second band Angels & Airwaves launched in 2007 with lots of fanfare (DeLonge predicted they would change rock n’ roll forever) but mixed results. Despite a minor hit or two, the grandiose-sounding group never found the same success as Blink-182 did. However, you’ve got to give DeLonge credit: now three albums in, it’s clear his Angels & Airwaves aren’t just a one-and-done side-project; they’re the real thing, at least in principle. He’s committed to keeping them going.

And Love, the band’s third outing, is a big step forward for them. For the first time, A&A don’t sound like they’re trying to be U2; instead they sound like a group with a style all their own. All of the songs on Love are immaculately structured; the production this time around is airtight, and the album flows together very nicely. If radio stations ever get a hold of the rather lovely “Shove,” then who knows? DeLonge’s boys might just have a chart-topper on their hands.

The problem, as it has always been, is that the guys still take themselves a bit too seriously, and the whiff of pretentiousness that has always surrounded A&A is still there. The opening instrumental “Et Ducit Mundum Per Luce” is really quite good, but its name, in Latin, translates to “and lead the world by light.” Erm, OK?

There is one notable improvement here: the band has finally figured out to properly structure their songs around DeLonge’s voice, an element which has frequently tripped up their proceedings in the past. Everything sounds fantastic, even if the lyricism is sometimes hit-or-miss. On the bright side, the closer “Some Origins of Fire” proves that DeLonge does have at least one great arena ballad in him. Love may not be a many splendid thing, but it’s still probably Angels & Airwaves’ most important record to date: they sound like they’re starting to finally turn into the real deal, even if they still haven’t quite found what they’re looking for.