Musical Elective Of The Month

After a brief summer hiatus, August's Musical Elective of the Month is Guster.

You probably first heard of Guster in 1999, courtesy of the breakthrough single "Fa Fa" off their third studio album Lost and Gone Forever. My initial reaction to Guster in those days was "ho, hum." Then I heard their 2003 album, Keep It Together. This is rock/roots-pop music at its best and would be a great introduction for any neophyte to Guster's sound. It features the title track, "Amsterdam," and "Homecoming King."

In 2006, Guster released its fifth studio album, Ganging Up On The Sun, off of which came the single, "One Man Wrecking Machine." There are rumors of a new album coming soon, originally expected sometime in 2009.

As a native of the Bay State, I have a soft spot in my heart for any great band with a Boston connection, and Guster qualifies. The lads first met at Tufts University (located in Medford) -- and they've gone on from there. If you like the music of Barenaked Ladies, Crowded House, and the Old 97s, my guess is that you'll like Guster, if you don't already. Great songwriting, good vocal harmonies and instrumentation, and a refreshing sense of humor. I'm sorry to have missed Guster at Milwaukee's Summerfest this year.

On your way to the best years of your life
Everyone's banging on their gongs
The sooner you leave the sooner you're home
Back in Massachusetts
To your golden age where they tuck you in at night
You didn't see it coming
Now who you gonna wave to?
This time you're not homecoming king
--"Homecoming King," Keep It Together (2003)

For more on Guster, please check out their official web site.

Past Musical Electives can be found here.