Born on Flag Day

Rate It! Avg: 4.0 (673 ratings)
Sample Album
ALBUM INFORMATION

Total Tracks: 10   Total Length: 42:23

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a musical tour

BrunoBruno

Deer Tick is one of the most intense and compelling bands to bear the "alt country" tag. Forget the tag, or any tag: these guys rock hard, and their sound is informed by so many great American musical traditions. The general consensus among the faithful is that this is not as good as "War Elephant," but you should judge for yourself. It's more polished, to be sure, but that is not always a bad thing. It shows a band's change in their own attitudes to their sound and production. Either way, "Born on Flag Day" will not disappoint. "Little White Lies" and "The Ghost" come as an homage to the old school; "Friday XIII" is a great Western up-tempo; "Smith Hill" shows how big a song can be, with a touch of Dylan; "Straight Into a Storm" is a fun rockabilly dancehall tune that you can jitterbug or two-step to; and "Song About a Man" is reminiscent of the great Texas folk tradition (Townes, Guy Clark, etc.). Take a tour of America with Deer Tick on this album.

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full circle

Sherab

I wouldn't want to be with out this music on a road trip from Texas to Rhode Island. As a Yankee/Texan, these guys go full circle for me and make me realized again, to drop the labels. "Houston, TX" is about as close to the perfect Alt. Country song I have heard.

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Great album

deadrise

Not as great as War Elephant but still a great album.

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Houston, TX

Julia_C

A good album with a standout track. "Houston, TX" is an essential tune, the kind that's so perfect you feel like you must have heard it before. Listen many many times!

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from folk rock to pop

gr8fuld3d

I love war elephant. Epic album regardless of what other reviewers have said. Maybe its just me, but Born on Flag Day is lacking the blood sweat and tears War Elephant encompasses. Don't get me wrong.. I'm a tickhead for life, but this album seems more "studio" and I find myself choosing to not put it on.

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Best new band around!!!

EMUSIC-TCHART

This is a great band with a sound of 60s music with an alt-twist. Listen and admire!

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Rhode Island Rises

Optical-Sewer

"Born on Flag Day" is not only a fantastic album, but the band is outstanding live. Get out to see them sooner than later....

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Excellent

MDez

I'm very impressed with this band. Would love to see them live

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Good, consistent follow-up

BadScooter

War Elephant was brilliant in places, but somewhat inconsistent. With Born on Flag Day it seems that Deer Tick has matured a bit and put out a solid, consistent enjoyable album - but for some reason nothing grabs me like a few of the best tracks on War Elephant. Still a good album and solid download

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Give it a try

handler09

It could very well grow on you. Wasn't sure at first that I would like it, but the more I listen, the better I feel about it.

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They Say All Media Guide

More focused than War Elephant, Deer Tick’s sophomore album, Born on Flag Day, is comprised of ten songs in the straight-up stylings of indie rock and Americana. Vocalist John Joseph McCauley III’s singing is still raspy, like a down-home version of Axl Rose, but here, he and his crew flesh out their woodsy sensibilities with a larger scope. This more expansive take builds “Smith Hill” to higher heights with the inclusion of orchestral backing tracks and rounds out “Stung,” the tender ’60s ballad of the record, with touches of electric piano. The sound is bigger, and the hooks are more palpable. By sacrificing grit, some of the charm that made the debut a success is lost along the way, but the sleeker production is only a minor setback and some of the songs onboard are Deer Tick’s best thus far. Even with a heavy helping of spiteful, desperate lyrics delivered straight from the bottom of the bottle, the sparkling production makes Deer Tick seem like a likely crossover to the mainstream: especially fans of Tom Petty and John Prine. Following the blueprint of some of the sweeter moments on War Elephant, pedal steel and tremolo guitars make “White Lies” a heartwarming mood piece before it switches gears and springs into a rollicking romp, and the first two minutes of “Song About a Man” wisely capitalize on the cigarette-weary singer’s ability to shine with only an acoustic and a kick drum, before bringing in harmonica and cello for the climax. The leadoff, “Easy,” is probably the most amiable and accessible song of the bunch, clearly illustrating that McCauley’s songwriting has matured substantially. – Jason Lymangrover

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