Claude says:Tom DeLonge recorded this at Neverpants Ranch after quitting Blink-182, teaching himself new instruments in isolation and aiming for arena-sized U2 grandeur with his new band. It peaked at number four despite critics calling it pretentious, though three singles hit the Modern Rock chart. You picked it up a few months after its May 2006 release and played it heavily that first year, then came back to it in later years — "Distraction" and "The War" still getting the most plays, with "Valkyrie Missile" and "The Adventure" close behind.