AWOLNATION Does The Split Personality Bit

Indie rock act AWOLNATION skirts the edge of two rock-inflected personalities on its latest single "Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)". Vocalist Aaron Bruno measures out his words in verse block one. He searches for his right mind. How plausible. He and bandmates aren't close to cruising altitude so we get reminded that when it doesn't seem like you have anything other than a tiny match lighting the way hitting upon your right mind isn't easy as pie. Much animosity wafts up from Kenny Carkeet's keyboards. They compel you to hear this crazy Aaron guy out. He might have something either twisted or profound to say. If the best we can say for him in the end is that he was a misunderstood genius then what's objectionable about that? Pounding away we get pulled into Isaac Carpenter's point on the band dynamic compass. Cards laid out on the table he doesn't draw the lead actor card in this power play. He does lend a useful helping hand which helps Aaron transition from gliding unraveling to mile a minute demented rambler. Lyrical content isn't the thing you should keep your fixation pointed to. Aaron's in meltdown mode. You can taste a little of the screaming that dyed in the wool rockers do later on in the song. Over and over he babbles on about how he's gonna make a deal with the bad wolf so it don't bite no more. Off and on the electronic horseplay elevates him to several fries short of a Happy Meal. Does "Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)" stand a chance of holding shrinking attention spans for an appreciably long stretch? I'd say the video matches that profile. Depending on whether entertaining the clogged gears of crazy people whets your whistle or not I reserve the right to hold off on any recommendations. Am I being non-commital? Yes. Are there ordinate number of questions being asked for one blog post? Sure, but you paid the ticket to ride, therefore you get the twists in the road. To continue now Aaron's a fascinating case study. Knowing what makes him tick comprises the majority of the fun. You think the mishmash crew surrounding him in the video isn't wary of where his noodle is heading next? They poker face nicely. I wouldn't conclude AWOLNATION has much outside of mix and match synergies in mind. First we'll slide Aaron along a keyboard ice rink. Then we'll get him on the language treadmill to loosen his lips a bit. After we've exhausted him we'll send him back to the rink so he can once again clench his teeth, thus pushing down on revealing emotions. To be the hamster running after the carrot in Aaron's worn to a nub cranium. Have any of you guys felt your cosmic role was merely placeholder. Aaron sympathizes. He also goes from cold running energy to hot. Living textbook characters can reveal a lot to us about themselves and ourselves. "Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)" splits the difference between hiding behind a loosely constructed mask and victimizing us with diarrhea of the mouth. You be the judge which half you like best.