HAVENS DUMB
Augie March
(DARK SATANIC)
Augie March shouldn’t need an introduction, but it doesn’t hurt to remind people who missed them the first few times around. This little band from Shepparton, most famous for their song “One Crowded Hour”, have been garnering critical acclaim as well as some serious fan love since the start of the century.
The album opens in strength, beautiful harmonies and clever use of sound engineering to create a sense of wonder. About midway through the album, as of The Faking Boy, things take a turn for the weird, and not in the good way. Intros to songs become unnecessarily elongated with irritating sounds and frequencies that lead into clashing chords. [By the final song, for example, it sounds like a recording during rehearsal, complete with an extraneous voice over introduction, a harmonica that provides shrill feedback throughout, and a relieved sigh with coughing to end the album.
That’s not to say the entire last half of the album is terrible, Sailing To The Moon is a beautiful lullaby sung as a quartet that is truly captivating, if not a little out of place on a pop/rock album. With a few solidly enjoyable songs early on, and a peppering of amazing songs throughout, welcome back, Augie March.
ASHLEY COOPER