American Authors - Oh, What a Life (2014) [Gorgatz]

American Authors - Oh, What a Life (2014) [Gorgatz]



- I N F O -

Brooklyn-based American Authors have set March 4th as the release date of their anticipated debut album OH,WHAT A LIFE on Island Records. The band recently appeared on NBC's Today Show as "Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month". The new year gets off to a rousing start with their first official single, "Best Day Of My Life," certified RIAA gold, reigning as a full-scale multi-chart hit including HOT AC (#4), Pop (#30), Triple-A (#11), and Alternative (#28).

American Authors will appear on their album release day, March 4th, on TBS's Conan with Conan O'Brien; and will make a return appearance to ABC's Live with Kelly and Michael on March 10th. American Authors have also been chosen as VH1's official "You Oughta Know" selection for February. In addition, the band was picked to be FUSE Favorite kicking off 1/27 and added to MTV.
"Best Day Of My Life" was performed live by American Authors during Christmas week on ABC's Live with Kelly and Michael. It was the culmination of a busy premiere year for the band at Island, marked by a headlining U.S. tour that included sold-out shows at the Roxy in Los Angeles, and Gramercy Theater in New York City. The band will kick off a round of headline dates this spring, starting in March at SXSW in Austin, TX.

"Best Day Of My Life" is the lead track from American Authors' debut EP on Island, which hit #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart last week! " As confirmed in Billboard, "Best Day Of My Life" was "bolstered by prominent placements in a Lowe's TV ad, a trailer for the film Delivery Man [and the Secret Life Of Walter Mitty], a Major League Baseball Fan Cave commercial, and the opening sequence of this year's ESPN World Series Of Poker coverage."
Added to that were performances of "Best Day Of My Life" on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, VH1 Big Morning Buzz Live, and Thanksgiving week on CBS's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, plus an appearance on the CW's The Carrie Diaries.
The four members of American Authors - Zac Barnett (vocals), James Adam Shelley (guitar/banjo), Dave Rublin (bass), and Matt Sanchez (drums) - hail from the four corners of the country, but came together at Boston's Berklee College of Music in 2006. They soon dropped out, moved into a small apartment in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, and started a band. American Authors bring their own influences and experiences to the table, creating pop-flavored alt rock sprinkled with four-part harmonies, spirited lyrics, and conta­gious optimism. "We're the authors of our lives," said Barnett, "creating music from what we've lived, from what we hope for, from what we feel. Every day is different and like every­one, our emotions change according to our personal highs and lows and by the challenges or triumphs that affect all of us. We're not afraid to be goofy one day and serious the next. We just want to be true to ourselves and share our stories for as long as people are willing to listen."

About VH1's You Oughta Know: VH1 "You Oughta Know" artists benefit from a month long cross-platform TV, web, mobile and social awareness campaign. Since its launch in 2005, VH1's coveted "You Oughta Know" distinction has introduced promising new artists on the rise and served as a barometer for what and who's hot in music today. Many "You Oughta Know" artists have gone on to win industry awards and accolades including "Best New Artist" Grammy Awards® and nominations. This highly acclaimed franchise has helped break artists such as Adele, Ed Sheeran, Foster the People, Gotye, the Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, the Civil Wars and many, many more.

From their start as The Blue Pages to their current success as American Authors, the four man act of Zac Barnett, Dave Rublin, Matt Sanchez and James Shelley have paid their dues on the path to their musical milestones. Their first album, Oh, What A Life, claps and stomps its way into stores next Monday, their first full-length release for Island Def Jam. ”Believer” was serviced first from it, but ultimately didn’t catch on at Alternative radio, no real surprise to me considering that the vocals sound swallowed up by the production in the chorus. However, followup “Best Day Of My Life” has been a real hit at retail and on the airwaves thanks to placement in several movie trailers and an ongoing tour across the States. So, what kind of life will Oh, What A Life lead on the charts? Oh, what a review I’m ready to write.

Much like their growing single in the national spotlight, the majority of this album is focused on a folk-driven pop sound, often times sequencing between the two genres. Fourth track “Luck” fits into the description nicely, coming off as a OneRepublic album track, as does “Trouble”, which goes for even more twang. Subject-wise, this could be the male response to a popular Taylor Swift hit: “I knew she was trouble from the first kiss/I could tell that something wasn’t right with you.” Ouch. That one hurts. Closer and title track “Oh, What A Life” also folks things up, verging into the celtic rock territory of New England’s own, the Dropkick Murphys. They may have “tried so hard/but we killed our hearts,” as they reminisce about all of the good and the bad times. It’s a sing-along record, so don’t try to deny it.

If you’re looking for something a little more progressive than passive, then two more synth-based tracks stick out in the lineup and both show great potential as future singles from the band’s effort. Third track “Think About It” acts as a more electro brother to “Best”, which is also structured pretty similarly. Thematically, the song revolves around the changes we experiences in life; Barnett sings, “I’m always hung up on the risk/don’t know what I think about it.” Later in the track listing is a song simply titled “Love”, which taps into a more hipster conscious sound and showcases more of an anthemic feeling. Summed up in one line, “one day we’ll look at the past with love.” It’s true… and enjoyable too.

Of course, the group manages to rock it out some too, bursting out into a more frenetic energy on sixth track “Hit It”, reminiscent of a mid-90′s record from a rock act like Green Day or The Offspring. It’s been featured in the video game FIFA 14. “Home”, although not nearly as hard, also goes for a more standard rock ballad. It beats to the sound of a percussion-heavy arrangement, almost like a drum line. Barnett sings, “I’m not trying to stop a hurricane/…I’m just trying to find a way to make it back home.” Well, if this is home, they’ve covered a lot of musical ground en route to it.

Overall, Oh, What A Life is a solid debut disc from the quartet now based out of Brooklyn, and while it has its playful moments along with the serious, the members themselves aren’t particularly memorable and their sound is nothing short of familiar to a mainstream audience. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that’s distinctive about them from other similar pop/rock acts. That isn’t to say that their music isn’t enjoyable, but for many people, they probably wouldn’t get a second listen beyond the singles, and even then, it’ll probably be mislabeled as Imagine Dragons. I’ll do my part to root for them; hey, “Best” spent a week at #1 on my chart in November, I don’t dislike them. Yet, they’ll have to prove themselves as more than just a one-hit wonder. Escaping that status will truly be the best day of their lives.

- T R A C K L I S T -

01 Believer
02 Think About It
03 Best Day of My Life
04 Luck
05 Trouble
06 Hit It
07 Home
08 Love
09 Heart of Stone
10 Ghost
11 Oh, What a Life
12 Best Day of My Life (Acoustic)

Format: mp3, CBR 320 kbps
Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock
Size: 96.11 MB