Search - Augustana :: All Stars & Boulevards

I think they want to go to California...

Andrew Ellington | I'm kind of everywhere | 10/08/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Based on the strength of `Boston' alone I purchased this album, having heard nothing else from the band, and quite frankly it didn't matter if the rest of the album was terrible; `Boston' is a tremendous song that still makes me shiver to this day.



I really do wish though, that the rest of the album was better.



The issue I have with Augustana is not that they are a bad band, in fact their sophomore album is a big improvement from their debut. The issue I have is that here, on this release, they seem to have run out of ideas very quickly and thus regurgitate the same thoughts (and nearly the same sentences) over and over. California is referenced on half the album in the same context (usually someone wants to go there). It kind of reminds me of the feeling I got when listening to Godsmack's debut album and hearing their incessant need to repeat phrases like `Go Away' and `Get Out' and `Keep Away'.



It's disheartening in a way.



Outside of `Boston' there really isn't any complete standouts for me, at least not in the way that `Boston' stands out. `Mayfield' was a nice way to open the album, and it kind of defines the album in way, setting the tone for the bulk of their tracks. `Bullets' is a fun and enjoyable song. `Feel Fine' has a memorable factor to it, and tracks like `Wasteland' and `Sunday Best' really give a smooth tone and delicacy to the band that I appreciated.



Like I said, they are not a bad band at all.



`Hotel Roosevelt' and `Stars and Boulevards' are simply mediocre. They aren't bad but they lack any real pop to them. They are simply forgettable. `Lonely People' is kind of bad to be honest, and `California's Burning' is horrible.



`Coffee and Cigarettes' is one of the better tracks on the album, for it possesses the soul of The Beatles, and bands of that nature, giving the album a classic edge that makes Augustana stand out a little; something that none of the other tracks (outside of `Boston') are able to do. I think that this would have been a nice direction for them to explore, but they never really do.



So, in the end I can say that this is a serviceable album that has some nice tracks and a solid stunner on its hands; but it also has its fair share of mediocrity. They grew from here, and `Can't Love, Can't Hurt' is a much better album overall. Still, there is something about Augustana that irritates me. Maybe it's that they have the potential to be so much better yet they fail to capitalize on that said potential.



Don't you hate it when that happens!"