Augustana's buzz bewilders me.

Posted about 5 years ago

Sometimes a band becomes popular and it just confuses me. At the moment Augustana is that band. 'Boston" just doesn't sound like a breakout single to me at all. Usually the first single is a marketing tool to get you just itching to hear what else the band has done. If this is the best they had to offer, you've gotta wonder. To me it sounds like second single off of 2nd album quality. For many artists, the first song is THE SONG. The big inspriation. Only downhill from there. (BTW I would never put down a one hit wonder, as I have had no hits.)I guess it fits into the sort of bland young piano guy singer/songwriter thing that seems to be filling up the airwaves now. It's merely ok. I have to think that there is something else at work here. VH1 finally stopped shilling for them constantly and the song disappeared. It's just that I know that there are better songs out there. The forces that cause a band to be plucked from obscurity, with only modest talent are a mystery to me.

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iseemonsters says I can't stand the radio version of "Boston" but there is actually an earlier, more stripped-down version of the song (from their pre-fame album, Midwest Skies and Sleepless Mondays) that I think is fantastic. Really soulful and pretty. I think part of the reason this song connects more than their others is the lyrics. The idea of escaping your life and starting over just resonates with the way so many people feel about their life. But, that version they play on the radio is just awful. Overproduced and soulless. I totally agree with your questioning how mediocre bands become popular. To me -- and this might be a blasphemous statement to some -- Coldplay is a pretty mediocre band that is immensely popular. Adult Contemporary radio (or "Adult Alternative" as they like to call it now) has always had a history of bands like Augustana (and now Mat Kearney) that aren't groundbreaking but are pleasing enough to reach a large amount of people. Kind of like the theory that the least offensive thing will reach the most audience on TV (example: Two and a Half Men).

Permalink posted 03/12/2007

Augustana's buzz bewilders me.

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