Guster has quietly become a very good pop band. And something more. Over the past ten-plus years they've been slowly honing their craft, building their fan base and making records that are unprepossessing but more and more compelling. Ganging Up on the Sun just might be their best yet. It certainly is their richest sounding record: the guitars are perfectly layered; the vocals warm and inviting, with sun-kissed harmonies on nearly every track; the songs filled with bubbling keyboards, twanging banjos, and all kinds of sonic embellishment. The group, who produced much of the album themselves, have taken all kinds of care with the sound of the record. Each track sounds handcrafted and labored over, yet retains a loose and mellow feel. That's not an easy trick to pull off, and they manage it without breaking a sweat. Of course, a lovely sound only gets your foot in the door. To get all the way in, you have to have some memorable and hummable songs, and Ganging Up on the Sun has a boatload of them. There are mellow strum-and-singalongs like the country-flavored "The Captain" and melancholy allads like "Dear Valentine," along with hard-rocking tunes both cynical and angry ("The Beginning of the End") and just cynical ("The New Underground"). The album even makes room for the epic-length "Ruby Falls," which could teach Coldplay a thing or two about drama and dynamic tension. There is a gravity and depth to this record that may surprise even their devoted fans. Indeed at their best, which is where they operate throughout most of the album, Guster has the same qualities that the best Amer-indie bands do: total commitment emotionally and musically. A song like "C'mon" isn't powered by market considerations, niche marketing, or calculated constructs; it comes from the heart and it'll move you. A couple tracks on the album ("Satellite," "Hang On," "Manifest Destiny") might even break your heart in a sweet way -- in a way that you'll want to hit "repeat" as soon as the album is over. Any fan of low-key, perfectly constructed, hooky, and honest guitar pop would be wise to check out Guster if you haven't already. Check them out now if you wrote them off in the past as being lightweights or just some good-time local band that did well, because you were wrong. Ganging Up on the Sun is the work of a band who matters.
so....yesterday I got to meet a great bunch of musicians that form the band Guster. They sounded great and you couldn't ask for a nicer bunch of guys. This is the second soundcheck deal I've been to compliments of DAVE fm and it really gave me insight on how it just doesn't "come together" magically, it takes work, and it's cool to see people who care about their work. Truth be told, I never ...
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Guster, probably the most harmonic band that utilizes bongos ever.... They played on July 23 in B'ham, probably the most beautiful show I've heard. Ray LaMontagne opened for them, and his music is just amazing... of course he had his uncomfortable look about him, but I think it was b/c of all the drunk chicks yelling at him. I really felt bad for him, b/c he looked like that he would be more c...
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Well, it does mention Christmas in there somewhere. That works for me!
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Let's keep it jumpin' - a little banjo can't hurt and don't forget that volume!!!
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Guster, probably the most harmonic band that utilizes bongos ever.... They played on July 23 in B'ham, probably the most beautiful show I've heard. Ray LaMontagne opened for them, and his music is just amazing... of course he had his uncomfortable look about him, but I think it was b/c of all the drunk chicks yelling at him. I really felt bad for him, b/c he looked like that he would be more c...
More >
so....yesterday I got to meet a great bunch of musicians that form the band Guster. They sounded great and you couldn't ask for a nicer bunch of guys. This is the second soundcheck deal I've been to compliments of DAVE fm and it really gave me insight on how it just doesn't "come together" magically, it takes work, and it's cool to see people who care about their work. Truth be told, I never ...
More >
This song is from Guster's latest album Ganging Up On The Sun. Their most political album to date, but not in a noticeable way. Songs like Manifest Destiny keep to their happy poppy standards while conveying an underlying political message. If this song comes up on ipod shuffle, it's likely you'll think it's Wilco's 'Hummingbird'. The intros of both songs sound very similar. This video is ...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Lightning Rod |
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| 2 Satellite |
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| 3 Manifest Destiny |
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| 4 One Man Wrecking Machine |
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| 5 The Captain |
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| 6 The New Underground |
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| 7 Ruby Falls |
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| 8 C'mon |
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| 9 Empire State |
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| 10 Dear Valentine |
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| 11 The Beginning of the End |
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| 12 Hang On |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Ganging Up on the Sun")
