Read the Review - Check out the XPN Music Store

Your purchase from Amazon.com that starts from a link on XPN.org, supports the music your hear on WXPN. Check out the hand-picked music selection in our WXPN Picks at Amazon.com section. You'll find the same prices as you would going directly to Amazon.com, and you can download to your music player, or order the CD online.

Tune in to the XPN Morning Show each Monday to hear, Host, Mike Vasilikos, review XPN's Featured Album of the Week. This week's album is....

Deer Tick - Born On Flag Day (Partisan Records)

NEW - Download and Listen to Mike's review.

Or, read the review.

On their second full-length release the Providence, Rhode Island band Deer Tick offer a concoction of country, folk and rock. As a follow-up to their acclaimed 2007 debut War Elephant, the new album Born On Flag Day succeeds in capturing the band’s raw and youthful energy.

From the opening song "Easy" to the hidden, live recording of "Good Night Irene" which finishes the record, Deer Tick has done much to prove their identity on Born On Flag Day. The once trio have added an additional guitarist to the mix, solidifying their rock edge. And the nasally, growl of frontman John McCauley III has found an appropriate marriage to the set of songs crafted on this new effort. The band's obvious strength is their ability to deliver an old-fashioned, unrestrained style of rock and roll on songs like "Straight Into A Storm." But they prove they can also pull off a more refined sound on the sweet duet "Friday XIII" and dreamy ballad "The Ghost."

McCauley, who himself was actually born on Flag Day, hits his stride as a songwriter on the new record. And as the band appears to have all their pieces in place, Born On Flag Day is a fitting re-introduction to the band.

Click here to see the complete list of WXPN Featured Albums.