Guster's unique talent found on third release
By LISA BRUNO
Scene Movie Critic
Run — don't walk — to the nearest music store and purchase Guster's latest offering, Lost and Gone Forever.
The third album from the Massachusetts-based acoustic rock 'n' roll band is its best yet. Lost and Gone Forever is a bolder and more revealing glimpse of this unique and talented band. But it is difficult to draw comparisons to Guster's other music, because after each listen, something new is heard.
Guster's first album Parachute, released in 1994, was full of distinct songs. Goldfly was released in 1998 and, making a trend out of its variety, offered distinctive music from the first album.
This third release continues to demonstrate Guster's strong and steady growth as a great band. In Lost and Gone Forever, Guster continues to distinguish itself musically with its use of various percussion, instruments like a theremin and innovative use of everyday objects like a typewriter.
The drums offer a driving and confident backdrop to the creative and strong lyrics that set Lost and Gone Forever apart from Guster's other releases. This is not to discount Parachute and Goldfly, though. It just seems that with this album, Guster is taking itself a little more seriously, but definitely not too seriously.
The CD, as the title indicates, is a bit more reflective and seems revealing in terms of the lyrics. This is not to say that Guster has turned into a somber, Cure-like band by any means. It continues to maintain its somewhat light-hearted style with tracks like "All The Way Up To Heaven," featuring whistling and hand-clapping from special-guest Guster contest winners.
But it is with the lyrics like "Yes I heard what you had to say and that's when it fell apart" in "So Long" that Guster seems to realize a more serious side to its music. This is the type of CD that causes listeners to drive somewhere, anywhere, just to be able to throw it in and have a listen.
Songs like "What You Wish For" and "Fa Fa" are difficult to get out of one's mind and may cause spontaneous humming for no apparent reason other than that they are just really catchy and good.
Aside from the innovative instruments and addictive lyrics, Guster's personality is icing on the cake. It is a band who is on the cusp of becoming well-known, yet it maintains a realistic perspective by doing things like having a yard sale at the group's Boston apartment during the summer of 1999. Guster creates hope for a better musical tomorrow that exists without a troop of fashion stylists or choreographers.
As mentioned earlier, this CD may prove difficult to find, but it can be ordered from their Web site at www.guster.com.
Three out of five shamrocks
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, October 5, 1999
