You Oughta Know : Augustana

It's a good thing that Dan Layus and Josiah Rosen ditched the middle America life a few years ago. Augustana's singer and guitarist believed their music had something compelling to say, and they knew that it wouldn't reach fruition in an Illinois college town. So it was off to San Diego, where they formalized their foursome and honed an emotional kind of guitar rock that boasts the grandeur of U2 and the candor of Coldplay. The tunes on the band's ALL THE STARS AND BOULEVARDS are sometimes mournful, sometimes manic. But they always put their heart first.