"...when you lose yourself for a minute or two."

I said that Empires' "Howl" was a surprisingly good debut album. Well, I've come across something even better. An album whose status as "debut" means absolutely nothing. I haven't actually listened to the entire album yet, so, yes, it is possible that my opinion will change. Possible. Unlikely.

The album of which I gush is the self-titled release by California group The Airborne Toxic Event. This is the some of the best music-crafting to come out of my generation. I say crafting, not making, because art like this isn't simply made. It is labored into existence with sweat and blood and every essence of life that Airborne Toxic Event has infused into their creation.

The first song I heard was "Sometime Around Midnight," an enchanting ballad complete with acoustic guitar and a string arrangement that never borders on superfluous. The purity of the song is derived from its truth. This is the debilitating rush of emotions you feel when you see your past love. Romanticized, maybe, but no more than necessary for sound lyrics.

I read a review on their myspace page that said, and I paraphrase, that Airborne Toxic Event is music of a rebellion, a rebellion against endings of life, love, etc. They represent the recognition of these imminent endings, and the courage to keep on dancing. I can articulate all I want, but I'll never beat that, so I don't think I'll try.

Buy it.

"Rock ‘n roll as rebellion, though not against anything as arbitrary as an elected authority or political body, but a revolt against endings—of love, life, and innocence...we all still hurt, die, and break in two. Airborne’s triumph is the unwillingness to budge in the face of that futility, and to keep dancing anyway.”
www.myspace.com/theairbornetoxicevent