CD Review: Augustana’s Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt

by Brody Mulligan of Brody Blog

Due on shelves Tuesday, April 29th 2008, Augustana's Can't Love, Can't Hurt arrives nearly two and a half years after the band's major debut album, All the Stars and Boulevards (2005), which took 19 months to blip on the mainstream radar, thanks in no small part to cameos of the successful single "Boston" on One Tree Hill (CW) and Scrubs (NBC).

Can't Love, Can't Hurt strays little from the band's signature combination of soft, driving rhythms and simple--but meaningful--lyrics, anchored by frontman Dan Layus' sultry piano riffs and intimate vocals, while also exploring a darker, more mature sound that begs not to be taken lightly.

Fans will surely notice a definite refinement of tone and style, along with deeper lyrics ("I ain't gonna make the same mistakes that put my mama in her grave") that hint softly at an effort to squash comparison and classification with Christian Rock groups like Relient K, Waking Ashland, and Switchfoot; Ironically, the original band members migrated from a conservative Christian college town in Illinois to Southern California, fulfilling a wish to (literally) distance themselves from an such an orthodox environment.

Seamlessly blending piano rock with dream-pop, Augustana dares listeners to a contemplate heartfelt, powerful tracks that shift between piano-and-vocals only vignettes of pure, ivory-pounding passion ("Fire") to ballads with hushed country-western influence ("Dust"), a sign that the group's small town, midwestern roots have weathered a migration to San Diego and scores of television appearances--a small piece of history that lends a big hand in shaping the band's evolution.

Still, despite the album's strength and potential, few tracks lend themselves to the fickle but strict demands of terrestrial radio--and while "Boston" was a success, the second single from their debut album, "All the Stars and Boulevards," flopped.

Time will tell if Can't Love, Can't Hate will again elude widespread popularity, remaining in a secluded but noticeable niche, or if the sophomore effort can parlay Sony/BMG's investment, banking on the fresh, refined, and less gritty tone that's already shown its strength online (an EP containing three tracks from the album released in February debuted at #2 on the iTunes rock charts).

This time around, a solid, well produced album--released just in time to be a perfect soundtrack to a leisurely, late night drive in spring nights that yearn for summer--may be just enough to satisfy listeners and still leave them wanting more...