Angels & Airwaves support protest in 'Surrender'

Blink 182's frontman Tom DeLonge is back with his side band Angels & Airwaves with their highly cinematic rebellious video for the latest song "Surrender," the lead single comes from San Diego Alternative rock group's fourth studio album, "Love: Part Two," which landed in last November. Considered a powerhouse alternative supergroup, Angels & Airwaves, is the artistic collaboration of four accomplished musicians from some of the biggest stadium-bands of the past 15 years.
"Surrender" has all of the same dynamics of the band's previous releases, with the basis of the song centered on a twee hook that's supported by a driven and chunky, four chord guitar progression. In addition, the typical Angels & Airwaves brand of relatively simple vocal orchestration, that sounds more preachy than it is expressive, is also present, along with a seemingly explosive load of drums that sound like they are just on the brink of detonation, before they are snuffed out by a dollop of compression.
Nonetheless, and regardless of any preconceptions that one may have about DeLonge and his sustained efforts to make his 'an art project that approaches larger human themes and tackles them in different mediums,' "Surrender" is intrusively catchy, working its way into the listener with an interplay of melody that breaks down any resistance they may initially have. Perhaps "Surrender" is a nod to Cheap Trick's 1978 pop rock song of the same name, but it's most unlikely, and besides, DeLonge's preachy lyrics seem to have missed the obvious point of a great pop song.
The protest themed clip, directed by William Eubank, and shot in Los Angeles, juxtaposes shots of young partiers with protesters facing off against riot police. It set amongst opposing scenes of passionate youth rioting and dancing in the streets, while the DeLonge-fronted band rock the anthem and incorporate the Occupy Wall Street movement into the clip, as lead singer explains it, "is based on young revolution. The idea that young people are speaking their minds... and that young people across the Globe will still find a way to celebrate even when they're living their worst day."

30 Seconds to Mars address peace in 'This Is War'

30 Seconds to Mars have finally released their long delayed video on Wednesday for "This is War," a clip that tries to encourage peace by depicting some of the horrors of war. 30 Seconds To Mars sing about survival on "This Is War," which is an anthemic-rock song and the titular second single off the band's third album, written by frontman Jared Leto wants to go epic, he doesn't go halfway. The new video is Leto's look at war and peace, which is not surprising with the title of the music video.
Edouard Salier-directed video opening with a quote from H.G. Wells, "If we don't end war, war will end us," and concluding with the tanks, jets and all manner of implements of destruction or more specifically, their assemblage into something more, which may or may not be the group's Triad symbol "War" is actually all about peace, a concept that doesn't seem to gibe with the fact that the band members dressed up as US soldiers patrolling the desert in an armored Humvee while showing scenes of war and leaders fighting in Afghanistan. The mere fact that this effects-heavy video exists is something of a triumph.
As Leto told MTV News last year, the clip and the song are about "the inevitability of conflict, the blessing of conflict and what we can all learn from it. A lot of people are going to interpret this piece in a lot of different ways. And hopefully it will start some debates and some conversations." It seems that, no matter how inhumane the outcome, humankind is practically predestined for war — a fact that roughly 2,000 years of our existence has sadly proven time and time again. When it comes to the music videos by 30 Seconds To Mars, Leto does leave a lot open to interpretation by the viewer.
30 Seconds To Mars try their very best to explore the various facets of the concept. When the pile of tanks and battleships at clip's end transforms into a massive pyramid, the meaning isn't readily apparent: There seems to be some sort of extraterrestrial force at play here, or perhaps it's just the overwhelming good nature of humankind willing the event to happen. The image is clearly meant to provoke, but does it also provoke thought? Ultimately, that's up to you. Though, it bears mention that much like conflict itself, thought is a decidedly human condition. And it's also more powerful than any bomb could ever be. "This is War" is quietly sitting while fans wait for what the band does next.

Thirty Seconds To Mars Unveil Epic "Hurricane"

After two weeks of wrangling, protesting and explaining, 30 Seconds to Mars finally unveiled the "full-length explicit director's cut" (as frontman Jared Leto put it) of their epic "Hurricane" video, which, oddly enough, ended up being two seconds shorter than the version that premiered on MTV a month ago. The original uncensored video was banned by MTV and several other TV channels, due to heavy censorship. The new, 13-minute clip for "Hurricane" aims to be more like a blockbuster movie than a music video, an arty, provocative sci-fi epic, with cinematic-style titles, subtitles, and chapters, and the Los Angeles based rock band's one-note, anthemic rock acting as its score.
"Hurricane" is one of tracks from 30 Seconds to Mars's newest third studio album "This Is War." Leto wrote this piano driven ballad in Berlin in the winter in 2007. He said. "It was winter, it was getting dark at like 3:30 in the afternoon, and it could go either way. It could be incredibly comforting or incredibly depressing. Thankfully, it was a little bit of both. It was inspiring nonetheless." Lead guitarist Tomo commented on this song: "It's dark and there's not much guitar on it, other than some acoustic in the beginning and a little bit in the chorus. Other than that, it's all keyboards. But that's cool. We're not some egotistical rock band that has to dazzle everybody with our shred skills. We just want to do what's right for the song."
The Leto-directed video was shot in New York. Leto described its concept to MTV News: "It's a surrealistic nightmare dream-fantasy through the desolate empty streets of New York City at night," he said. "There's no people, there's no cars and you see the band as we encounter some fears and some fetishes, a series of challenges. It's a really ambitious, really cinematic short film." Leto never goes halfway. That's why the epic video sometimes feels like a summer blockbuster squished down into a 13-minute box. Part "Eyes Wide Shut" fetish flick, part action movie and all a bit confusing, the video that director Leto himself has been promising will be "very sexual," violent and a "surrealistic nightmare dream-fantasy" is all those things and more. Plus a lot of things we can't even really get into here.
Over 13 minutes, the censored version of mini-movie is broken into three chapters: Birth, Life, and Death, It follows the three members of 30 Seconds to Mars through a dark and twisted thriller set in a nearly empty New York City. Full of haunting, surreal images of men in masks and woman in bondage gear, the video was dark enough to warrant a warning during the intro that some of the scenes may be offensive to some viewers. All disturbing psychoanalysis aside, 'Hurricane' is one of the most impressive videos in years.

30 Seconds to Mars Take Us "Closer to the Edge"

Multi-platinum rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars (30STM), who were just nominated for four 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, has released its concert-centric music video for their new single "Closer to the Edge," the seventh track and the third single from their third studio album "This Is War." The epic video was directed by Bartholomew Cubbins and contains concert footage and fan commentary from about 30 performances on the road to 89 cities throughout 27 countries during the first leg of the band's "Into the Wild" world tour, where they played in front of over 1.3 million fans.
"Closer to the Edge," has topped UK Rock Singles and climbing the airplay charts across Europe. It emphasize atmospheric flourishes over melodic assurance. Tomo Milicevic, the lead guitarist of 30STM, said about the song: "A really interesting track. We call it our 'pop' song, but when you really listen to it, you realize that it has a lot of rock glory in it. It's a song that fools you, and I like that. Jared really pushed himself as a songwriter here in that he was trying to reach for a new way of presenting music that was very accessible but not spoon-feed it to the audience. He has a lot of respect for the fans in that way. The guy's a trip - very inspiring to be around and work with."
The video opens with testimonials from sad-eyed 30STM fans, espousing their views on life. Each of them is alone in their own particular way, it would seem, though, through the music of 30STM, they find a space in which they can coexist with others just like them. They may be outcasts in their high schools or towns, but at a 30STM show, they are anything but. They are, as a title card in the video puts it, part of "The Family." Documenting your life on the bus is as much a rite of passage as getting your first platinum plaque, and in keeping with pretty much everything they do, 30STM have taken the concept to dizzying, unabashedly all-encompassing heights. They aim to uplift, to inspire, to save, and "Closer to the Edge" is their document of that mission.
Created in 1998 in Los Angeles, by actor Jared Leto and his Older brother, Shannon, 30STM found success with a mix of post-grunge, screamo, and hard rock. With their brand-new "Closer to the Edge" video, 30STM have joined a special fraternity. "Closer to the Edge" is different because it is darn-near 100% about the fans themselves: their lives and loves and fears, and how all of those things motivated them to attend a 30STM show in the first place. They are the stars, they are the main attraction. The members of the band are basically secondary characters in the thing.