Ryan Auffenberg

When your debut album doesn't sound like your debut release, you're doing something right. Such is the case for the 26-year-old San Fran singer-songwriter Ryan Auffenberg. After the Damien Rice comparisons that followed The Bright Lights EP, Auffenberg's first proper release, Marigolds, is referred to as ?postmodern Americana? by his record label, although I'm not certain where the post part comes from. This record sounds as familiar and accessible as the best of Americana; songs that sound as if they've been smoothed out over years of wear on the road.

Now, we must get it out of the way: Ryan Auffenberg shares more in common with Ryan Adams than just first names. Like the ex-Whiskeytown man, Auffenberg is at ease appling croaky vocals to sentimental verses (such as the title track), and keeping the heartache without adding the sappy. Then there are the prerequisite banjos and brush drumming. However, Auffenberg has enough sophistication in his songwriting to move away from the comparisons, and mixes up the formula on offerings such as Interstate and Alright, Okay, blending in some California breeziness.