A Good Start for The Luke Austin Band
Luke Austin Band
Canadian alt-rock group The Luke Austin Band is on its way to be a known name in the music industry. The band of four members released its first collective effort For No One in Particular on July 17, 2015. They teamed up with Grammy award producer Vance Powell (Jack White, Kings of Leon) and Alex Bonenfant (July Talk, Metz and Crystal Castles). This EP of five songs is a good start. All the right elements are there but I feel that it will take more than a good start to inspire a true musical storm.
The album kicks off with the song Old Friend. Instantly this voice. It’s like I’ve heard it before. Caleb Followill of Kings of Leon. Right on point. Luke Austin’s and Caleb Followill’s voices are very similar. Even the sound. It has this something of Kings of Leon. The instrumentation and the arrangements remind me of Only by the Night. This applies even more to the next song Life Won’t Wait. Everything is in the guitar progression. The resemblance with the American alt-rock band is no surprise since I mentioned that the band worked with producer Vance Powell. I have in mind Three Days Grace and Third Eye Blind. I remember Switchfoot. Again it’s in the sound. The Luke Austin Band songs are not bad but listening to the album, all these bands names are surfacing between two songs. It is not a bad thing but we have heard this material before. Even the lyrics fall into some commonplaces. I would have love to hear something different. You cannot reinvent the wheel but isn’t there a way to look for this little moment that has not yet been found?
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The guitar riffs are predictable. The drums sound familiar. I acknowledge that the band is trying to put his touch and I would never take the effort away from them. I have to say that Long Home Road is the strongest song on the album and by far my favourite. This song has the feel of a unifying theme. No wonder it was a great success for the band and it is their lead single. In March, the song was featured song of the week by SOCAN.
Overall, For No One in Particular doesn’t deliver a unique sound. However The Luke Austin Band has been able to compose good songs that will appeal to a large number of alternative rock lovers. I am certain that this EP will please a variety of music lovers. I have the distinct impression that I would appreciate these songs even more live. The guys would rock the stage and they would entertain the crowd. At the end of the evening, I’d think it was a really good show. I like to believe that these guys will get better in time. We must not forget that this is their first album. They have not yet reached their full potential. Let’s see. Let’s wait. They will create a musical universe of their own. Let’s hope it happens.
