Auzman Propaganda, Man - Greatest Hits Vol. 3 & 4

Auzman Propaganda, Man

Greatest Hits Vol. 3 & 4 
self-released; 2014

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

It’s not that rare for someone to consider music therapy. You often find people listen to music for therapeutic purposes that don't know how to play a lick of music. Other times musicians themselves consider the writing process or playing music live a therapeutic process. The latter is the case for Austin Whitely who considered the process of making his album Greatest Hits Vol. 3 & 4 a therapeutic process. Whitely goes by the moniker Auzman Propaganda, Man and created his debut effort on his terms. In addition to writing all the songs and playing all the instruments he even recorded, mixed and mastered the whole thing. For a DIY it sounds good - in fact regardless it sounds good. It’s a bit lo-fi at points but the music fits the production.

Musically, Whitley writes guitar-based tunes and plays rock music but the guy effortlessly and successfully doesn't limit himself. He flirts with different styles throughout the album with success. The songs feel connected and Whitely does a good job at making the listening experience feel fluid. 

Whitely kicks it off with a fantastic tune entitled “Something Outta Nothing.” He combines an organ, what I believe was orchestral string and bells as he sings “Something outta nothing when the words just fit together Lack of sleep, forget to eat with so many things to do.” The change he implements about a minute in with bass and guitar is rad. It’s sudden and catches you off guard. The second track “Lady at the Front Desk” is a rather standard alternative song. Not bad but it didn’t hit me like the first song. “Charlie Brown EarMuffs” is a solid, fast-paced rock song. The song felt a bit silly but fun.

“Make A Scene” is a heavy track with reverb laced guitar and it rocks out pretty darn hard while “Might As Well” features a solid vocal performance and a very welcome banjo. ”Morton” is a highlight that implements an electronic drum beat that sounded a bit like something you might hear from Trent Reznor. 

Whitely’s most successful songs are the ones that deviate from standard guitar-based rock. His talents lie in the moments where it seems as if he is a bit out of his comfort zone. I hope to hear him further diversify on his next album. It would be cool to hear him blend even more instrumentation on his next effort instead of flirting with it like he does on this one. He’s on to something but he’s not quite there yet. 

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