Artist: Augustana

Title: Augustana

Label: Epic

California's Augustana has justly survived the turbulent early twenty-first century music scene, staying true to its natural rock roots in the digital age, wrapping stories of unsettled love around compelling melodies that empathetic students would want to hear live when the band blows through town.

On this self-titled third album, the young act that broke through in 2005 with the VH1 hit "Boston" appears less collegiate and increasingly stadium-suited; the shaggy hairstyles are becoming more sculpted while the sound gets bigger. R.E.M. and Kings of Leon have had similar stories to an extent, and Augustana is talented enough to bear such comparisons.

If the group's first project was wide-eyed (the guys were barely out of high school), and the second was informed by the rough edges of growing up on the road, Augustana finds the band duly matured and further in touch with its long-term vision.

Front man Daniel Layus, no doubt a standout singer and promising writer, says he thought a lot about early Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty albums while setting out "to make a big, catchy American rock record."And sure enough, those influences are front and center on opening cuts "Steal Your Heart" and "Wrong Side of Love," hook-laced anthems that simmer and then explode with raw emotional energy.

Those wide open arrangements continue with "On the Other Side" and "Shot in the Dark," top-down tunes that explore love with a greater measure of hope; it's worth noting Augustana began at Greenville Christian College in Illinois—the same place that begat Jars of Clay—although Layus no longer embraces the same brand of belief that led him there.

Still, a restless philosophy pervades countrified, Eagles-esque tracks like "Borrowed Time" and "Hurricane" (where "faith is a sight for the blind, and love is a riddle and a rhyme").

Rock and folk, arena choruses and front porch jams. How the band gels its 1970s touchstones, 1990s upbringing (traces of Gin Blossoms, The Wallflowers), and current influences (some say the Springsteen throwback is like what The Killers have done) is hard to define, but not hard to enjoy.

Layus has a trademark voice—cool but miles from cocky, weary yet wired. And the other members never showboat but always serve the song, making every note count. Amidst this blend of classic and modern, Augustana is thriving now and has indeed made a big, catchy record.

*This review first published 5/4/2011