I have a feeling that if I had a few drinks while listening to Deer Tick's new record Born On Flag Day, I might like it a little more than I do. But as it is, I remain pretty underwhelmed by the band's sophomore release. For while it does have some stirring, plaintive numbers that clearly resonate with me, most of the songs on Flag Day are so stark and unvarnished that it would take strong vocals with evocative lyrics in order to make the tracks memorable, neither of which are Deer Tick's strengths on this record.Front man John McCauley's singing style is unquestionably in the love-it-or-leave-it variety, and while I grew accustomed to his gruff, gravelly vocals on the bands strong debut War Elephant, it seems the subject matter of his songs hasn't matured along with the musicality of the band. McCauley seems tied to subjects and themes that are often as tired as some of the songs sound-topics which have been chronicled more suitably by other artists-and that lack of originality and ingenuity is what ultimately derails the album.'Easy' kicks the record off in a boisterous manner, with the piercing electric guitars adding to the tracks accessibility and energy. But it's an odd choice to start things off, as there really aren't any other songs on the record that reflect that same unhinged exuberance, and it remains a jarring beginning to what amounts to a rather subdued album. There is a noticeable downshift into 'Little White Lies,' and the group loses a bit of its vibrancy and distinctiveness in the process, settling instead for more conventional, bar-band fare. 'Smith Hill' manages to convey McCauley's emotion and sympathy in a much more effective fashion, with the mournful violins augmenting the forlorn song impressively, making the track the clear standout on the album. The bands familiar formula unfortunately grows stale and predictable as the record progresses, especially on the next track, 'Song About A Man, which tries unsuccessfully to replicate not only the sentiments of 'Smith Hill,' but those of Dylan and Springsteen as well. The lyrics seem contrived and the harmonica solo come straight out of Dylan's songbook, robbing the solemn track of any sense of passion and clarity.It seems that McCauley is striving overly hard to reach the heart of Americana (whatever that is), both through his songwriting and, most obviously, through the name of the album. That unattainable pursuit bogs this record down with a fabricated heart that seems devoid of the emotion that the songs only hint at, but never quite reach. The second half of Flag Day sounds more like a collection of cast-offs and b-sides than the strong finish to a carefully crafted record, and by the time McCauley rhymes 'Anything' with 'Everything' on 'The Ghost,' the chance of hearing anything truly groundbreaking has passed entirely. Throw in the overdone 'bonus track' after six minutes of silence at the end of the album ('Goodnight Irene' no less), and the labored cliché is complete.There isn't enough of McCauley and his band mates spirit shining through on these songs, which come off more as interpretations of a style as opposed to anything authentic or distinctive. It sounds like the band is trying to distill decades of country and folk music in order to get to the essence of something that proves to be far too elusive to capture in these simple, stodgy songs.

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