Vice Cooler-who, under the moniker Hawnay Troof, makes music that sounds like a mad scientist trying his hand at hip-hop- is searching for something.

"I never really know what I'm doing, but I think that's sort of key in a way to survival," he says. "If I knew, then what would be the point of searching for anything?" In the midst of a world tour, the Mobile, Ala., native and Oakland, Calif., mainstay is after what everyone is.

"I want to experience as much as I can. I feel like that's what a lot of people are actually searching for who end up in religious situations. You just want to feel something and have things to think about."

Which is why, on the heels of his newest release, Daggers at the Moon, released Oct. 20, he's getting out of Oakland, at least for now. "There's not as much adventure at this point because everything's become really easy for me," he explains. "It has nothing to do personally with the Bay Area. It's not that I don't like it or hate it. I just need something a little less comfortable for the moment."

While working on his 2008 full length, Islands of Ayle, Cooler was attempting to create the perfect pop record. For better or worse, one listen to the album is enough to understand that Hawnay Troof might need to start heading a different direction if he's planning to dethrone Justin Timberlake.

"It's constantly a wrestling match between the fact that I want to make perfect pop music, and that it's really hard for me to stick with one idea," Cooler muses. "I'll start writing a song with a certain goal, but then the goal changes 40 times before the track is finished."

This caprice is what makes Daggers at the Moon such a fascinating listen. The record is both triumphant and uncertain, often at the same time. Songs like "Body Armageddon" blur the separation of music and lyrics; the frustrated text is matched by a frustratingly danceable beat. The effect inspires a waltz along the fine line between celebration and indignation.

Daggers at the Moon plays out like the bittersweet homecoming of a hero returning from a journey of Homeric proportions. Rather than getting to bask in the glory of his successes, Cooler is faced with the realization that home isn't what it once seemed to be. You feel the struggle in making sense of a world that's changed while he's been away. Everyone and everything has grown up and moved on without him, so among the revelry is an undercurrent of confusion and resentment.

"The record is really unsure of itself," Cooler says. "I mean, in the end, it's a form of communicating. It's having a conversation with people."

"And the more you talk to people the more you realize how to make yourself more clear. Or how to make yourself more murky, when that's your point."

The practice is paying off. Listening to Hawnay Troof's 2003 release Who Likes Ta? side by side with Islands of Ayle or Daggers at the Moon shows a maturation, both in themes and in songwriting ability. The music of his most recent release is radically original, yet surprisingly accessible. In a way, his release history runs almost parallel to Prince's. If Who Likes Ta? was the Purple One's overtly sexual, minimalistic early record, then Islands was his 1999 and Daggers should be Purple Rain. If history is to repeat itself, this should be Hawnay Troof's moment. Unfortunately, Cooler knows better than most that a great record isn't all it takes to succeed in today's music industry.

"In the '90s, you could be underground but still be recognized," he notes. "Bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile didn't have publicists or anything. They were just good bands and they were recognized for that."

It's not that Cooler hasn't been recognized for his work. Everyone from punk legend Henry Rollins to pop diva Solange Knowles has thrown praise in his direction. His video for the song "Connection" from Islands of Ayle was voted by viewers as the second best "indie" video on MTV and number one on MTVU, beating out heavyweights like Bjork, MGMT and Death Cab For Cutie.

But appreciation can only take you so far. Today's world requires muscle. "It's like the mafia," Cooler says, laughing. "Bands who are business savvy and good at manipulating are able to stay in a career. Music is almost secondary, in a way." It's clear that for Hawnay Troof, the music isn't secondary. "I wanted to make something that would be interesting to hear but maintain its fun," he spells out. "Something that is pretty, but harsh."

"I wanted it to be all of these things that were very lifelike. I think I did the best job of that that I've ever done. I think I'll be able to do better over time, but definitely it's the best record I've done so far."

But it all comes back down to the business. "Unfortunately, a lot of people don't even know this record's out," he admits.

Cooler remains optimistic. "I guess at this point I can only hope that it's a late bloomer," he says. "Sometimes things just slip through the cracks."

Well, sort of optimistic. "Maybe in 10 years people will notice. Or maybe never." He chuckles. "We'll see."

Tags: HAWNAY TROOF