There is no sophmore slump here. This album is beautiful. Dan Layus, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist has really really matured in his singing and songwriting. Dan has a beautiful voice and he gives me shivera at times. The songwriting is heartfelt amd deep and they never cease to amaze me. This album in a good way is a little slower and has less of an edge which is a good thing. I have been a fan since the "midwest...." EP. I first heard "Mayfield" and instantly fell in love with them. "Boston" then was the icing on the cake and I have been patiently waiting for this. The drumming is very good and the guitars are very good as well. The bass fits in with the drumming and the piano work of Layus flows very well with the rest of the band. Only negative is the reworking of "Hey Now" "Heart Shaped Gun" IMO was much better, much more heartfelt in its lyrics and was a gorgeous love song. I can see why they reworked it (the lyrics are a little mature throughout the song)but "hey now" is good too. Here's a run down track by track.
1. Hey Now (7/10) Good song, but the original of "Heart Shaped Gun" was better
2. I Still Ain't Over You (9/10) great song, good lyrics, nice piano in this one, one of the more upbeat songs on the album
3. Sweet and Low (10/10) I love this song a lot, I love the lyrics, really sweet and Dan's voice is very good in this one, one of my favs
4. Twenty Years (10/10) My Personal Favorite. This song makes the CD for me. The lyrics are breathtaking and again heartfelt. Dan's voice as the piano work is amazing and I love the inclusion of strings in this one, This one is my tearjerker
5. Meet You There (9/10) Another favorite. This one is upbeat and has good lyrics
6. Fire (10/10) Amazing. Slowest song on the CD, just Dan and the piano in this one, his voice is breathtaking especially when he holds the notes out at the end, excellent lyrics
7. Either Way, I'll break your heart someday (10/10) Another favorite, pretty upbeat, excellent lyrics, great vocals
8. Dust (7/10) My least favorite. I just can't get into this one as much as the others, still a good song, good lyrics
9. Rest, Shame Love (9/10) more accoustic than the others, still a good song, good lyrics, picks up a little in the chorus
10. Where Love Went Wrong (10/10) Really good closer. The lyrics are very good and I love Dan's voice and well as the piano, nice way to end the CD
One listen to a free Itunes song I was offered and I ended up buying the entire CD! While I heard and liked the song Boston, I never really looked into Augustana further. Wow, am I glad that I did!
This CD is original, unique, it's breath-taking. The lyrics and the music are some of the best I've heard in a long time. I am thrilled to have found a new favorite band!! While I can't quite put my finger on their sound...Itunes describes them as alternative, folk and americana. Some of my favorites on this CD are: Hey Now, Sweet & Low, Meet You There, I Still Aint Over You and Either Way I'll Break Your Heart. Honestly, I like every song, which is rare....
You have to check out this cd. I guarentee you won't be disappointed. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of these guys in the future. As for me, I'm just excited to be seeing them in concert with Maroon 5 & Counting Crows!
This album is really good and Augustana is suprising me with every album they come out with. I wish they can get more attention for the work they do because they deserve it. The album starts off with up temp songs that really show you that this band is special. Towards the second half of the cd, the songs slow down some and they show the listener how well the lyrics are written. I highly recommend this cd to rock & roll fans and also check out their new cd self titled Augustana, that album is just amazing.
It came quick and for a used cd it was like new! This album in my opinion is amazing and does not disappoint. Preview it and then buy it to see for yourself if you don't believe me.
`Can't Love, Can't Hurt' is a great album from Augustana and whilst they are a relatively unknown band at the time of writing, it is safe bet that with albums like this they will soon make a bigger name for themselves. From the album opener `Hey Now' you know this will be a solid, upbeat album and by the time the excellent `Sweet and Low' has finished you will have been shown to be right. There are also a couple of ballads thrown in for good measure and `Twenty Years' is a particular favourite with gentle strings at the end. This band has been compared to The Counting Crows and I am inclined to agree with that, but they also remind me strongly of The Fray and if you like either band you will most probably enjoy this. This is one of those rare albums without a bad song on it and whilst some stand out more than others, the whole thing is a very polished affair. Well worth checking out.
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