I suppose I will blame an extremely busy summer for slacking on listening to new releases, but I also feel as though they all came out around the same time. With that, I’ve started getting into them with AWOLNATION’s latest, The Phantom Five.
Though their covers album brought me back into the fold, there was always the nerves that this was going to sound just like Angel Miners and the Lightening Riders, which was not my favorite thing they’ve ever released. To my relief, this album was pretty good! Do I think it’s a Run or Here Come the Runts? No, but there were still some solid tracks here that I plan to listen to again, and likely add to a playlist. And even though it wasn’t a full home run, it will still be a full CD purchase before the year is over.
I think AWOLNATION released a few singles off of the record before its release, but I only ever checked out the first two. If I recall, “Panoramic Views” was just okay to me at the time, but I can confirm with a repeat listen that it is terrific. It sounds like it would have fit in with either of the last two albums and I just love how it showcases Aaron Bruno’s vocal versatility. “Jump Sit Stand March” was very cool the first time I heard it, and it sounds just as cool the second time around. It’s really catchy, and new Linkin Park lead vocalist, Emily Armstrong’s verse is just as gritty and cool as before. This single in particular reminded me of more classic AWOLNATION flair. All at once it was hard, catchy, beautiful at times, and just overall a bit quirky.
I actually thought that most of the album did a great job of emulating AWOLNATION sounds that we’ve come to know and love, but also morphing it into a new quirky and unique landscape. That sentiment is particularly true with songs like “When I Was Young” and “Outta Here.” The latter had some awesome, really hard guitar parts going in between choruses. Otherwise, most of the album was pretty danceable! I especially enjoyed “Party People” and “I Am Happy.” Del the Homosapian rapping on “I Am Happy” sure did make me think of “Knights of Shame,” so that kind of puts this track at the top of my list.
Other tracks off the album that didn’t quite hit the nail on the head for me were “Barbarian,” which definitely felt like it was born out of the pandemic. Another, slower track off the album, “A Letter to No One” had lyrics that came off like a diary entry revealing secrets that you might not want to share with strangers. “Bang Your Head,” while at the start was a bit annoying, ended up being pretty fun. I could see it playing really well to a lot of different festival crowds. And that’s what makes AWOLNATION so unique! They are able to weave in and out of different genres without totally losing any of them along the way.
I’m sure I’ll be seeing these guys again live next year when they’re on tour in the states, but until then, I will just have to give this a few more well-deserved spins.