The second single "Counting Stars" from OneRepublic's third studio album "Native" marks a shift towards a more organic rootsy indie sound with a polished gospel themed production across thumping kick drums & picked guitar.
It's a vague nod to the trend for "rustic" down home, straw stuffed Americana. But this isn't a hoe down, they don't dress like frontier settlers. They aren't riding into town on one-trick plastic ponies to push snake oil or hackneyed banjo jigs.
"Counting Stars" is more ambitious; subtle piano accordian and harp hide beneath this sophisticated New Orleans flavoured epic, but you'd hardly notice, the 16 beat is danceable and the vocal hooks and snappy dynamics are hard to resist.
OneRepublic made radio history with "Apologize" - the remix version, featured on Timbaland's album "Shock Value" was a smash hit internationally, reaching number one in sixteen countries with 10 million downloads.
