By By Elyssa A. Goldstein

Greenville, Ill. is by no means a music capital of the world, but local Greenville College was the launching pad for the foursome known as Augustana.

With the release of their debut record, All The Stars And Boulevards, Dan Layus’ (lead vocals, piano, guitar), Josiah Rosen’s (lead guitar and vocals), Jared Palomar’s (bass, keys, vocals) and Justin South’s (drums and percussion) collective dream of success has become more real than they could have ever imagined.

The opening seconds of “Mayfield” sound extremely similar to the opening of “Politik” from Coldplay’s A Rush Of Blood To The Head, but as the album progresses, comparisons to Coldplay are overshadowed by the likeness to the now-defunct Third Eye Blind with its pop-punk-rock feel.

“Bullets” details early on the songwriting style of Augustana’s members-less emphasis on the melody of the vocal lines and more emphasis on the rhythm and mood.

“Hotel Roosevelt” opens with a catchy synth groove and drum beat, building up nicely throughout. “Boston” follows with perhaps the most lyrically and melodically deep efforts on the debut. The track is a piano-driven ballad with soft organ lines reminiscent of The Wallflowers and evocative lyrics such as “essential and appealed / carry all your thoughts across an open field.”

With examples like the upper-register piano melody in “Stars And Boulevards” and the simple piano progression in “Wasteland,” it is obvious that Augustana’s album is laden with riffs.The recurring phrases that dominate the record, help the listener connect with the melodies, but diminish the musical credibility of the band. The melodies are rarely expanded or embellished, making the record drag a bit, despite its barely 40-minute duration.

“Sunday Best” begins the process of slowing the album to a stop with its unique instrumentation throughout. The album closes with “Coffee And Cigarettes;” a track mellowed with its acoustic guitar and Crosby, Stills and Nash-like vocals.

Augustana certainly make a substantial dent with their debut effort, All The Stars And Booulevards, but fall by the wayside with the recent success of label-mates The Fray.

Augustana can currently be seen on tour with Switchfoot and Eisley.