Rating: 3 /5 stars

Aaron ‘AWOL’ Bruno surprised the world with an album that nobody was expecting. The Los Angeles-based alternative rock band released their third LP, “Here Come the Runts,” on Feb. 2. AWOLNATION became known after releasing their best single to date, “Sail,” making it onto the US Billboard Hot 100 list. The band has not seen commercial success that their first single has brought to them, selling over 6 million copies as of last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album opens with the title track, “Here Come the Runts.” Bruno’s vocals are front and center and set the stage for the next 45 minutes. Bruno tells MYP in the same interview that his record does not feature anything auto-tuned, or fake, as he puts it. “You just should be hearing the guy or girl sing, and it should be their voice. But almost all records are tuned. Auto-tuned. And that’s fake. What you’re hearing then is essentially a fake product, and that doesn’t stick well with me,” he said.  Previous records featured heavily tuned vocals and excessive overproduction. “Here Come the Runts” does not necessarily dismiss the electronic/industrial rock signature sound of AWOL, but it gets dialed back in favor of true, pure instrumentals.

The first single, “Passion,” was created initially after Bruno read a review about his previous album, stating that the record lacked passion, he told MYP: “The last record was such an emotional experience, it really broke my heart to read that. So I said: F**k them! Now I’m gonna write a song about passion—literally!” The meaning for the song changed throughout its creation, and it is shown in their music video. “Passion” features disabled skateboarder Og De Souza riding throughout the streets of Recife, Brazil. Og De Souza was diagnosed with polio at a young age, causing his legs to stop growing. This did not stop him from enjoying life, eventually becoming a professional skateboarder.

A smooth, relaxed transition follows “Passion” and leads into a quirky, almost parody-like rap verse by Bruno, featuring the outro instrumental from the single. The first bit talks about a girl on drugs who snuck into a show looking to have a good time. This girl embodies the feeling of passion that Bruno is trying to establish, to never hold back doing what you love and live life to the fullest.

“Handyman” definitely has that potential to be a radio hit. Bruno’s voice is accompanied by a single acoustic guitar, followed by an explosive chorus about being there for a lover. He recently got married and lives in the mountains near Los Angeles, where he wrote and recorded the album.

“Seven Sticks of Dynamite,” another single released before the album, includes a lonely guitar playing along with Bruno’s falsetto. The song stays slow and picks up in the chorus when mentioning the dynamite. The song eventually takes off toward the end, throwing in electric guitars and drums. The music video, featuring famed producer Rick Rubin, attempts to recreate a Wild West bar fight.

Songs like “Miracle Man,” “Jealous Buffoon,” “Tall, Tall Tale” and “Cannonball” feature repetitive lyrics that may sound annoying at first listen. They are not terrible songs at all, but they could be considered “filler tracks” that further push the idea of natural-sounding music that Bruno wanted to get out.

Overall, this record from the mind of Aaron Bruno is one that definitely stands out from the list of modern pop albums. The Los Angeles newlywed kicks off an album tour next week, coming to Rochester on Feb. 18.

Image from Red Bull Records via YouTube.com