A four-piece group from L.A., Augustana combine the introspective grittiness of American guitar rock (think the Wallflowers and Counting Crows) with the wide-angle theatrics of U.K. guitar/piano rock (think Radiohead before they went nuts or a less epic Coldplay). Their debut major label album, All the Stars and Boulevards, feels like it was concocted in a record label boardroom. That’s not to say that it was or that all plans hatched in that manner are inherently wrong. The album is still listenable in a strange kind of way, particularly as perfect background music. – Tim Sendra