A four-piece group from L.A.,
Augustana combine the introspective grittiness of American guitar rock (think
the Wallflowers and
Counting Crows) with the wide-angle theatrics of U.K. guitar/piano rock (think
Radiohead before they went nuts or a less epic
Coldplay). Their debut major label album,
All the Stars and Boulevards, feels like it was concocted in a record label boardroom. That's not to say that it was or that all plans hatched in that manner are inherently wrong. The album is still listenable in a strange kind of way, particularly as perfect background music. ~ Tim Sendra