EXPECT IT: Feb. 14 (Self-released; modlife.com/angelsandairwaves)
"This is a mixture of the most excited and most stressed I've ever been in my life," says Angels & Airwaves leader Tom DeLonge regarding his upcoming schedule, and not without good reason. In between reconnecting with his Blink-182 bandmates and launching one of the summer's biggest tours (try to tell us Travis Barker's flying drum solo wasn't the coolest thing ever), DeLonge still found time to work on Love, AVA's third studio album, and the accompanying film of the same name. "We started writing two years ago, but it's really taken us five years to get to this point to be able to do these kinds of things," he says. "A lot of the songs have multiple movements, and a lot of it is kind of avant garde." The album, which will be released for free download on the band's website, will also be given away through media outlets including AOL, LiveNation and Facebook. Although he declined to reveal any song titles, DeLonge was frank about the album's lyrical message: "Love is not necessarily at all about a boy and a girl," he says. "It's about humanity and social awareness. All the songs lyrically deal with the many facets of what that word means and the idea that the only way you can truly live is through your connections with other people. That's what we're using to define what the word 'love' means--outside of delivering chocolates to your girlfriend."