Augustana is a four-piece group from L.A. that combines 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). That may sound interesting, but their debut major label album, All the Stars and Boulevards, is a fairly hollow exercise that 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. It just points to the elements (originality, excitement, soul) that are missing from Augustana. From the overly processed guitars to singer Dan Layus' simultaneously bland and over-emoted vocals to the slickness of the melodies and the clichéd authenticity of the perfectly crafted arrangements, there isn't much to sink your teeth into here. Even for fans of the bands Augustana is so obviously influenced by, they will feel like they are listening to a third- or fourth-generation Xerox copy. All that said, the album is still listenable in a strange kind of way since the lack of any distinguishing features allows the music to be perfect background music. Sort of like elevator AOR. Sort of like a wasted 40 minutes.

钢琴，鼓，高亢的歌喉与丰富的创作力，是KEANE成功的方程式，“SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW”充满感情而温暖，绝对是2004年迄今最佳单曲！ 在英国一个偶然的一个晚上，尚未成名的KEANE基音乐团应邀帮TRAVIS(崔维斯乐团)暖场，当基音走上舞台的时候，大家感觉到一股新的史诗摇滚势力似乎要袭卷而来！英国权威音乐杂志Q不但给予他们四颗星的高评价，还形容“我们看到了一支乐团正上演着酷玩乐团的魔幻效应”。来自英国萨西克斯郡BATTLE小镇，从小一起长大的基音乐团，在走唱英国小镇6年，以及于独立厂牌FIERCE PANDA发行两张单曲之后，2003年底正式加盟环球音乐，基音乐队的首支单曲SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW秘密基地登上英国金榜TOP3，成为2004年各大乐评眼中的“21世纪披头四”。2001年在最具公信力的媒体“英国国家广播公司BBC”年度乐评票选活动中，更获选为“2004年最具潜力团体”，一时之间，基音受到前所未有的注目，新专辑的发行成为2004万众瞩目的盛事，果然，基音乐队首张专辑《HOPES AND FEARS憧憬》发行首周空降英国金榜冠军！ 没有吉他手，基音以三种基因创造出全新音乐，钢琴，鼓，以及歌声，凭着动人的旋律与歌声，把原本的“弱点”转化为突出的特色，基音反而异军突起，受到各界一致的推崇。钢琴编织出旋律，鼓给予骨干，而歌声赋予不朽的灵魂。在名混音师MIKE SPIKE STENTS 的打造下，主唱充满穿透力的歌声与丝丝入扣的动人旋律合而为一。首支单曲SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW成功登陆英国金榜，问鼎2004年最佳单曲，第二波单曲EVERYBODY`S CHANGING的歌声表现直逼乐坛前辈COLDPLAY QUEEN的透明清洁，虽然没有吉他的出现，BEND&BREAK，CAN`T STOPNOW，SUNSHINE等歌曲，融入贝斯助力，更添英式独特风味。

Taken from the 2003 album 'Final Straw'. The title track is backed with three exclusive non-LP tracks, 'Post Punk Progression', 'Spitting Games' (2001 Country Version), & 'Run' (Video). Polydor. 2003.