Second Favorite Band of All Time continues to be awesome

Easy Wonderful
by Guster
Barnes & Noble link

(Fun fact: I preordered it from the band's official website, becoming the happy owner of one of the 500 autographed copies.)

Guster had been going strong for a long time, their first album Parachute coming out in 1996. Their last release Ganging Up on the Sun, which brought the world the lovely "Satellite" and the rocking "The New Underground", arrived in 2006. After that, there was an uncomfortable silence. Where did the boys from Cambridge go? Then early this year, they released "Jonah", for a Haiti charity album. Shortly after, happy news: their new album was due by the end of the year.

If you've been a longtime fan, already hearing the first single ("Do You Love Me") has gotten you a little worried. Wait, Guster was pretty level in its musical moods, but why the sudden burst of happiness? Oh no. What to do? Well, give it a shot and listen closely. You may be surprised on what you'll discover.



"Do You Love Me", the first single as indicated earlier, is the best example of what to expect from the album. It expresses joy like a newlywed, the singer eagerly asking their true love that important question. It also captures some interesting images of being in love: "marbles in my mouth", the TV being a TV with the "newsman [giving] information". As long as there is love, everything else is just things.

"Bad Bad World" begins with piano, an instrument that gets some never-heard-before attention (for Guster, at least). Probably the standout of the song is its lyrics. It seems to be encouraging those listening to take action by expressing their feelings about something. As the boys are singing to express their thoughts, in turn the listeners will see that there are moments to cherish. I'm gonna wager this was written for the future children of the Guster guys and ladies.

"On the Ocean", at first listen, sounds like Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" (I blame the synths and the harmonies here). The song is also a somber, yet lush, take to "being cast out" of love. Despite the comparison to the Springsteen song, the song still is signature Guster. The gentle piano brings up images of flowing waves in a vast ocean. Quite haunting.

"Jesus & Mary" begins and keeps going a smooth beat, along with some excellent guitar work and hints of keyboard (as it apparently sounds like). The guitar work is reminiscent of Paul Young's "Every Time You Go Away" (judge me, I don't care). The lyrics are surprisingly political, given that the band hasn't ventured down that route before.

It is certainly different from their other albums, having a lighter feel. Almost... a mainstream pop feel. But the spirit of the band remains. There continues to be the beautiful hand percussion, gentle and flowing harmonies, and tight songcraft. This is the same Guster, the Guster of "Amsterdam" and "Barrel of a Gun", but this is also a Guster full of love and dedication. Just another facet of an already wonderful band.

And no, that wasn't an intended pun.