All The Stars and Boulevards

Augustana | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: September 6, 2005
• Label: Epic
• Copyright: (P) 2005 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
• Total Length: 41:21
• Genres:
• ASIN: B00138J61C
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,461 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Find, August 8, 2006

By 

Brandan Madson (Okatie, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All The Stars And Boulevards (Audio CD)

I heard "Boston" long before it became popular. Honestly, if I hadn't listened to it on XM radio, I wouldn't have known who performed it, and would never have found Augustana when I did. I got the CD shortly after, but didn't really listen to it (I admit, I was sort of caught up in listening to "The Fray.") But I soon came around to taking a good listen to this CD, and let me tell you, it is awesome! There is not a single song that sounds like another, yet it all sounds warmly familiar. Great CD! Go buy it! You won't be sorry.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Middle America Meets Britpop Anthems, December 6, 2005

By 

D. Doughty (West Newbury, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All The Stars And Boulevards (Audio CD)

Let me first qualify this review by saying that I am the proud owner of over 1500 CDs and am also a 5-instrument musician, so music has been a staple in my life for almost 25 years.

This is one of those rare CDs that you can hit play and just "let it ride". I haven't heard anyone capture that middle America vibe like this since Counting Crows debut ("Omaha" comes to mind) or the "Recovering the Satellites" album ("Have You Seen Me Lately?" and others). They take this vibe, meld it with solid arrangements, clean-as-a-whistle production (courtesy of Brendan O'Brien), and themes of hopeFULness over hopeLESSness. On top of that, I hung out with these guys in October when they opened for Our Lady Peace in St Pete, FL and Jared and Dan are very cool guys (with GREAT musical taste, by the way...all hail Oasis). Do yourself a favor, buy the CD, pop it in, and LET IT PLAY. Don't just get hung up on listening to "Stars" or "Boston", though they are both great tunes. Search deeper and you'll likely be thrilled at what you find.

By the way, the ONLY reason I held back a star is because I'm saving the 5-star rating for the follow-up. Here's betting they'll avoid that sophomore album slump that unravels so many great bands.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Are we gonna make it?", January 15, 2007

By 

Damian Gunn "The Dark One is I" (I am everywhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All The Stars And Boulevards (Audio CD)

Like James Blunt and Corrine Bailey Rae, I stumbled on Augustana thanks to a `check these guys out' spot on VH1 and had to immediately grab their album and give them a listen. Like the aforementioned, I was pleasantly rewarded upon tearing off the protective plastic and sliding this shiny disc into my car stereo. I'm a sucker for dramatic rock, the ballads with heart and soul that give me shivers and place me on the verge of tears, so it's safe to say that upon hearing `Boston' I was immediately smitten with this band, for with the piano work and soft lyrics it serves as one of the most powerful ballads I've heard in a long time, evoking emotions in me that only music can find and expose.

Along the lines of `Boston' is the equally impressive `Sunday Best' which mixes melodic music with soft and subtle lyrics that draw you in and stay with you. Songs like `Lonely People' and `Bullets' have that straight rock feeling that will get you moving and are perfect for in-car sing-a-longs. But, like I always say, a true testament to an albums worth is found in the strength of the opening and closing track, and this album both opens and closes very strong. Starting with `Mayfield', which showcases not only the soft and delicate side but also the catchy side of this band, and then closing with the Beatlesesque `Coffee & Cigarettes', which reminds me of Finger Elevens `One Thing', Augustana delivers track-for-track perfection and proves to be one of the better debut albums released recently.

So, in reply to the question raised in `Mayfield', the question I chose for the title of this review... "Are we gonna make it?"...well, if you turn out music as deep, moving and genuine as this then not only will you make it, but you'll deserve to make it, and that is rarely the case.