When I first came across the new Deer Tick album, “Born on Flag Day”, I didn’t know what to think. I’d never heard their music before, and I didn’t even know what genre they fall into. I’ve heard so much about this band, but I’ve never had an opportunity or a reason to listen to their music. I thought that this was going to be another country album full of “America!” and “my cat got run over last week” and “I drank myself to sleep” type lyrics. I was completely wrong.

After I started the CD, I was pleasantly surprised. If Deer Tick was the epitome and image of country music that I had in my mind, I would go out and buy me a pair of cowboy boots and a cowboy hat and saddle up on a horse to go out west. Their music goes deeper than just country; it delves into folk, blues, and alternative rock.

Every track is amazing and easily transitions on to the next. Before you know it, forty-five minutes has passed, and you simply restart the CD. One track that struck my fancy is the final track, “Stung”. This track is simply beautiful as McCauley belts out with his raspy voice to sing an almost ballad song for the first three minutes. After another three minutes of silence, the music starts up again with a live song full of laughter, wooing, and beer can’s cracking open as McCauley carries on singing. The song ends with, what in my mind, is the scene of a bar as the night comes to an end, the few drunken bar-goers singing along to the last performance of the night.

This is definitely going to be one of my albums of choice on my hour long trips up and down the New Jersey Turnpike this summer. Two thumbs up.