Song of the Day / Album of the Week: Augustana

“Steal Your Heart” was the debut single from the 2011 self-titled album from Augustana and like its premiere song, it was extraordinary. This whole album is a must listen. It was expertly crafted and astonishingly underrated. After Augustana broke onto the scene with their hit single “Boston” back in 2003, they never quite recaptured that chart success again. It wasn’t because they stopped making incredible music though.

Often serving as the backdrop for many emotional scenes on TV, it didn’t translate onto the music charts the way they deserved it too. This is tragic because the song that gave them their break isn’t their best song, in my opinion. For those that have listened to their follow up albums, it is clear that with “Boston” they were just getting started and it should’ve served as the genesis for what should still be a chart topping career.

I have listened to all of their albums and there isn’t a bad one in the bunch however, with Augustana they cemented themselves as the kings of piano rock. This soul-soaring album is one of the best albums of the past decade, the reason being because there is not one bad song on it. That’s right zero. You will not use the skip button on this record, once. It is evident that they poured everything they had into it, every riveting chorus and tender lyric.

Failing to find a chart success with the album, Epic Records let them go. What a terrible decision. This album was highly under-promoted and it seemed that Epic had given up on them before they could even get it released. Hopefully, with time, it can gain the respect it deserves.

As other acts saw success with similar music that lacked the heart Augustana possessed, it’s clear that it wasn’t because Augustana had failed listeners. By the time that Augustana has finished their first track “Steal Your Heart” they had already stolen ours with this album. After hearing te grand sound of this indie rock single, you will find yourself hitting the repeat button.

“Steal Your Heart” with its uplifting base and rich production deserved more than it received. As I’ve thought back on this record, I realized that I would be remiss to try to pick out one song from this album, it's too good.