Awolnation titling the fifth album of original songs in 15 years The Phantom Five is about more than just chronology. The number 5 is associated with independence and individualism, major life changes and experiences, all of which influenced the resulting album. It’s a collection of ten songs that highlights every different impulse and urge Bruno has learned to master with Awolnation in a cohesive, anthemic pastiche of modern music. As he himself admits, it functions almost as a “greatest hits” album, in the sense that it offers something for everyone who has followed the band’s arc in its celebrated, shape-shifting way. The first single, “Panoramic View,” stands out with its sincerity on its sleeve; in fact, while not necessarily a new direction for AWOL, the idea of a heartfelt ballad being the first track available to fans is emblematic of Bruno’s newfound control over every aspect of an album release - something that he says might not have happened in previous days.
From upstart, tongue-in-cheek blasts like “Jump Sit Stand March” and “When I Was Young” to the Roy Orbison, oldies-inspired ode to beauty and self-destruction “A Letter to No One” and the jangly segue “City of Nowhere” calling to mind The Cars and Grandaddy, not to mention guest spots from Dead Sara’s Emily Armstrong and Del the Funky Homosapien, The Phantom Five is concerned with trying to find one’s way to happiness in a bizarrely upside-down time.