The Dream Walker

The Dream Walker is the fifth studio album by alternative rock band Angels & Airwaves, released on December 9, 2014, through To the Stars.[1] On October 31, the band released their first single from the album, "The Wolfpack", via PureVolume.[2] On Monday, December 8, 2014, the album was streamed exclusively in its entirety with Rolling Stone.

This article is about the 2014 studio album by Angels & Airwaves. For the 2014 short film by the same band, see Poet Anderson: The Dream Walker.

The Dream Walker
Studio album by
Angels & Airwaves
ReleasedDecember 9, 2014
RecordedJune 2013 – October 2014
StudioJupiter Sound, San Diego, California
Genre
Length40:05
LabelTo the Stars
ProducerTom DeLonge, Aaron Rubin
Angels & Airwaves chronology
Love: Part Two
(2011)		 The Dream Walker
(2014)		 ...Of Nightmares
(2015)
Singles from The Dream Walker
  1. "The Wolfpack"
    Released: October 31, 2014
  2. "Bullets in the Wind"
    Released: November 17, 2014
  3. "Tunnels"
    Released: December 1, 2014

This is the band's first album to feature drummer Ilan Rubin, the first since We Don't Need to Whisper not to feature bassist Matt Wachter and the only album not to feature guitarist David Kennedy. It was recorded entirely by DeLonge and Rubin, who share songwriting and instrumental duties.

On May 4, 2016 the band released a new album consisting entirely of demos from The Dream Walker studio sessions including older takes and five previously unreleased tracks.[3]

Originally intended to be titled Poet,[4] The Dream Walker proved to be a remarkable shift in style from progressive styles to a rawer sounding alternative rock.

Production

The album is one part of a multimedia project that will include a short film, comic books, a graphic novel, videos and animations that will all tie in to a central character known as Poet Anderson.[5]

The first single available from The Dream Walker was "Paralyzed", released on YouTube on October 7, 2014. Several weeks later the second single, "The Wolfpack" was released on Halloween. The music video for "The Wolfpack" premiered on YouTube a week later on November 7, directed by Mark Eaton. The third and fourth singles released prior to the release of the album were "Bullets in the Wind", on November 17, and "Tunnels", on December 1.

The short film that coincides with the album, Poet Anderson: The Dream Walker, premiered on November 14 at the Toronto International Short Film Festival, for which it won Best Animation. Tom Delonge and Ilan Rubin were the only musicians to play on the album, with David Kennedy and Eddie Breckenridge not recording for unknown reasons. Kennedy and Breckenridge only appear in the music video for "Tunnels".

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Teenagers & Rituals"3:53
2."Paralyzed"4:09
3."The Wolfpack"3:53
4."Tunnels"4:10
5."Kiss with a Spell"4:36
6."Mercenaries"4:37
7."Bullets in the Wind"4:03
8."The Disease"3:57
9."Tremors"3:55
10."Anomaly"2:52
Total length:40:05

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic[6]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Alter the Press!4/5[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
KillYourStereo93/100[11]
Rock Industry8/10[12]
Rock Sound7/10
inveterate.co.uk7/10[13]
Alternative Press[14]

The Dream Walker received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 66, based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" feedback.[7] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album three out of five stars, writing that it has "more texture and dimension than Love and, ultimately, it's that expansiveness that gives the album character instead of the convoluted cross-platform narratives."[8]

Commercial performance

The Dream Walker debuted at number 39 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 19,088 copies in the United States.[15]

Charts
Chart (2014) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[16] 94
US Billboard 200[15] 39
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[17] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 183

References
  1. Josephine Yurcaba (December 8, 2014). "Hear Angels and Airwaves' Dark, Surprising 'The Dream Walker' LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  2. PureVolume. "PREMIERE: Angels & Airwaves — 'The Wolfpack'". Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  3. "The Dream Walker Demos Deluxe Digital". To The Stars Inc. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  4. "Angels and Airwaves: 'Paralyzed' Single Review". PPcorn. October 3, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  5. Childers, Chad. "Angels & Airwaves Discuss 'The Dream Walker,' Poet Anderson + More". Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  6. "The Dream Walker - Angels & Airwaves - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  7. Metacritic. "Reviews for The Dream Walker". CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  8. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Dream Walker - Angels & Airwaves - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  9. "ATP! Album Review: Angels & Airwaves - The Dream Walker". www.alterthepress.com. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  10. Jones, Simon (December 8, 2014). "Rolling Stone Australia - Angels & Airwaves - The Dream Walker". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  11. "Angels & Airwaves - The Dream Walker - Reviews - Killyourstereo.com". Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  12. "Angels & Airwaves - The Dream Walker Review Rock Industry". November 29, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  13. "Review: Angels & Airwaves - The Dream Walker | Inveterate".
  14. "Angels & Airwaves showcase their eagerness to evolve on 'The Dream Walker' - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. December 9, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  15. "Angels & Airwaves Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  16. 20, 2014/7502/ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  17. "Angels & Airwaves Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Angels & Airwaves – The Dream Walker" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
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