Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders

by AWOLNATION

Overview

Following a staggering loss and a period of reflection and rebuilding, AWOLNATION return with their vibrant fourth album, Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders. Taut and technicolor, the set is a rebirth of sorts for main man Aaron Bruno, who lost his home studio during the 2018 Malibu wildfires, which is memorialized on "California Halo Blue." Starting fresh without expectations or pressure, Bruno ended up crafting an energetic, fun, and compulsively listenable set that distills the best of what AWOLNATION can do: making pop-savvy, dance-friendly, alternative rock anthems that are not bound to traditional genre conventions. Like a buoyant blend of Twenty One Pilots and Nine Inch Nails that's been blasted with Californian sunlight and ocean waves, there's a lot going on here, but it all works. Shimmering to life with the sparkling "The Best," Angel Miners quickly shifts gears for the first of many times on "Slam (Angel Miners)," a quirky slow-builder that trades atmospheric drama for hypnotizing electronic beats before finally dissolving into a riotous rock rally. Later, "Battered, Black & Blue (Hole in My Heart)" smashes explosive arena rock with vulnerable, melodic yearning, spinning out of control in a whirl of wild screams. Hints of Bruno's old project Under the Influence of Giants can be heard on the breezy mid-tempo "Pacific Coast Highway in the Movies," a harmonic collaboration with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, as well as on album standout "Mayday!!! Fiesta Fever," a rousing romp with Alex Ebert (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) that lives up to the lyric about playing hardcore and rock & roll at a disco party. There isn't a dud to be found on this album, and it's refreshing to see Bruno allow for some lighthearted fun, cathartic vulnerability, and spatial experimentation after three LP's worth of hardened, overly aggressive, and self-serious hard rock anthems. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

Product Details

Release Date:	12/08/2023
Label:	Endurance Music
UPC:	0849320046868
Rank:	24486

Album Credits

Performance Credits

AWOLNATION   Primary Artist
Josh Moreau   Vocals
Isaac Carpenter   Drums,Percussion
Rivers Cuomo   Featured Artist
Aaron Bruno   Drums,Guitar,Vocals,Synthesizer
Suzanne Waters   Vocals
Alex Ebert   Featured Artist
Tracy Van Fleet   Vocals
Callista Hoffman   Vocals
Elyse Willis   Vocals
Daniel Saslow   Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Eric Stenman   Mixing,Engineer
Emily Lazar   Mastering
Rivers Cuomo   Composer
Aaron Bruno   Composer,Producer
Alex Ebert   Composer
John Wellman   Design
Daniel Saslow   Composer
Cole Alexander Higgins   Artwork
Eric Doolin   Photography