Augustines Augustines (Caroline) ⋆⋆⋆ ⋆⋆⋆
The American rock trio Augustines were still called We Are Augustines when they released their hugely acclaimed debut Rise Ye Sunken Ships back in 2011. Having reverted to their original name and relocated from Brooklyn to Seattle, their second album sticks firmly with the formula that worked so well for them the last time, drawing on an emotionally charged tradition of widescreen Americana that includes Bruce Springsteen, the Killers and Arcade Fire. Indeed, the revved-up blast of Don't You Look Back sounds like a contemporary cousin of Springsteen's Born to Run, while Cruel City evoked the anthemic uplift and multi-vocal roar of vintage Arcade Fire. Elsewhere, there are hints of Coldplay in the impassioned piano ballad Walk-about and the shiny, streamlined, rocker Nothing to Lose But Your Head. As before, the singer-guitarist Billy McCarthy lays on the gravel-voiced sentimentality very thick and the songs often strain for an emotional triumphalism they have not earned. But if you can forgive their blustering and derivative style, Augustines at least bring an agreeably melodic and soulful energy to the staid conventions of indie rock.