Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By AWOLNATION, Better Noise Music 2020.
AWOLNATION is the brainchild of lead singer and songwriter Aaron Bruno and it was the success of his massive hit single Sail (2011) that brought him to the attention of the music and film industries.
Sail was the first single lifted from Bruno’s 2011 Megalithic Symphony album and the single went on to be certified Diamond for 10 million sales.
It also holds the record for most weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for an independent artist and the second longest for any artist.
AWOLNATION’s music has not only been commercially successful in music sales but Aaron Bruno’s creations have also found their way into dozens of films, TV shows and commercials around the world.
They’ve done so because there’s something eminently visual and theatrical about his music and this is particularly evident in Angel Miners & The Lightening Riders.
Ultimate Guitar has been forthright in its praise of the album claiming that “(Angel Miners & The Lightening Riders) is shaping up to be their most daring and profound album so far.”
The songs on the album are about coping with rejection and tragedy, albeit on a much smaller scale than the world is experiencing at the moment due to COVID-19, and as such the album has a somewhat prophetic feel.
Aaron Bruno is a talented songwriter and he’s produced a powerful album that takes us on a musical journey that is relevant to the times.
As is common practise these days he’s enlisted the help of a number of talented guest artists to develop his ideas.
Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) features on the track Pacific Coast Highway (In The Movies) and Alex Ebert (Edward Sharpe, Magnetic Zeros) features on Mayday Fiesta Fever.
AWOLNATION has a legion of fans worldwide that eagerly await new material. The band’s last three albums have resulted in seven Top 5 Alternative Radio hits, including two #1’s and more than 1.5 billion streams globally.
With the release of Angel Miners & The Lightening Riders AWOLNATION has produced an album full of surprises and one that is sure to further their reputation as one of the hottest indie bands of the present times.
