Augustana

Time for Augustana to change things

There are two basic cases when groups release eponymous records. This can be either a debut effort or a CD marking the band’s serious intentions to state and pursue new music goals and ideals. American ensemble Augustana matches the second situation after releasing in spring 2011 a self-titled record which is their number four full-length effort. The debut album, Midwest Skies And Sleeples Mondays, was issued by the band independently and was available only at its concerts. The following studio work, All The Stars And Boulevards (2005), was Augustana’s first official release and the one that made the media and the public take a good look at the bunch of young and talented men from San Diego. It features Boston, the song many still consider their best number ever. It was record number three, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt (2008), that made the musicians think well about adjusting their style. It was not that the album turned into a total disaster; rather it marked a certain kind of dead end where the band found themselves all of a sudden. Compared to that release, the newly issued Augustana is not a step or two forward, but a gigantic breakthrough.

Tackling stereotypes

The problem with Augustana was not the quality, but the format of their music output. Soft, unsophisticated pop-rock with abundance of ballad material was a no-risk approach for those who looked for a wide audience and guaranteed airplay from leading stations. However music like that ends where it begins, never giving a musician enough space for creativity and development. Augustana set their minds to trade comfortable pop-rock environment for rougher surroundings of experimental endeavors. The band’s self-titled album has remarkably less purely lyrical low-tempo stuff with similar verses and sweet, yet alike, choruses. The opening track, Steal Your Heart, sounds quite untraditionally hard and pleasantly original. Vocalist Dan Layus’ voice turned more masculine and harsher. The guitarists reveal more inventiveness as you can hear from nice melodies in Someone’s Baby Now. As soon as they added some more heaviness, even the simple, penned by all laws of pop-hit writing, Wrong Side Of Love gained extra emotions and sincerity.

Augustana’s obvious progress

Looking at the total duration of Augustana, staying below even forty minutes, one is likely to believe the Californian ensemble ran short of fresh ideas. However, one listening is enough to slay the suspicion. The musicians refused to pen ten songs sounding like one long and enriched the familiar light rock with something peculiar. Borrowed Time bears strong country influence, and Shot In The Dark engages retro-styled synthesizers and back vocals. Only once did Augustana fall victim to an old habit. They recorded an acoustic ballad Counting Stars, which, due to its uniqueness here, sounds attractive and special. Therefore, the exploration of new music areas taken up by the band turned into a successful initiation. Augustana is far ahead of its predecessors owing to the many-faceted catalogue and a more genuine atmosphere. The musicians seem to be having new feelings and experiences working in the band now, which is a good sign for everyone around.