Don’t you just love new music? I sure do. And I was beyond pumped to finally have AWOLNATION’s latest record grace my ears this weekend. It’s been a surprisingly quick two years since their last effort, so back when they released their first single, “The Best,” I became increasingly excited for the full-length.
Back two years ago, Here Come the Runts seemed like a bit of a departure from the band’s usual sound, but I came to love that record all the way through. Angel Miners & the Lightening Riders is more of a blending of their earlier sounds with some of the quirks of Runts. The results were a mixed bag for me. As a first listen through I thought in general it was a solid effort, although not too many stood out. I wanted to love “Half Italian” for the name alone, but it was the closing track, “I’m a Wreck” that really piqued my interest.
The band has always done a spectacular job of mixing melodic and soft vocals alongside heavy screaming and that’s what “I’m a Wreck” captured perfectly. I did enjoy “Mayday!!! Fiest Fever,” the fun track featuring lead vocalist of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetci Zeroes, much more than the Rivers Cuomo tune, “Pacific Coast Highway in the Movies.” And yes, a handful of tracks were very obviously personal to Aaron Bruno, but I wasn’t too fond of the California fires dedicated track, “California Halo Blue.” Just wasn’t my style.
Will I come to love these songs the more I listen to them? I have no doubt. AWOLNATION has been a staple in my music catalog for a long time now, and they’ve never really let me down. This album is no exception. Unfortunately, I was supposed to be seeing them live this summer for the fifth time, but this virus is taking everything fun away from the world. Here’s hoping I catch them (maybe more than once) next year!