So I’m sitting here listening to Guster’s new album,
Ganging Up on the Sun, and I keep thinking, “Wow, this is Guster?” Don’t get me wrong, the melodies, the songwriting, all the good stuff, is still there. But there’s something different. Something more somber, more mature about the tone of the album.
Long-gone are the bongos of yesterday, the goofy head-bopping ditties and poppy “fa fa” choruses. No, this Guster is different.
The most pronounced departure is in the song "Ruby Falls," a seven-minute symphonic masterpiece. Or "Satellite" with its (dare I say?) psychedelic keyboard interludes. Maybe it's "C'mon" with its simple construction and driving bass riff — with a little banjo and B3 thrown in for good measure.
But never fear, old school Guster fans, there's something for everyone here.
I dare you to not bop your head just a little to the driving guitars of "Dear Valentine," or tap your foot to "The Beginning of the End" (appropriately, the next-to-last-song on the album), which has a similar feel to "Red Oyster Cult" and has been called "the one that rocks" in the band's studio journal. And yeah, then there's the single, "One Man Wrecking Machine," (see the video
here).
Will everyone like it? Probably not. Are they crazy not to? Oh yeah.
Val's picks for iTunes (or other legal service) download: "C'mon," "Ruby Falls," "One Man Wrecking Machine." But really, just do yourself a favor, plop down $10 and get the whole album.
Guster will play at the
Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park in Cary July 18
with Ray LaMontagne and the Fruit Bats. General admission tickets are $33 in advance and $35 day of the show and are available at your favorite
Ticketmaster outlet.
Friday, June 30 - Tiger Thief, The Greatest Hits, The Sammies, Brent Jordan @ Kings (indie/pop rock)
So I’m sitting here listening to Guster’s new album, Ganging Up on the Sun, and I keep thinking, “Wow, this is Guster?” Don’t get me wrong, the melodies, the songwriting, all the good stuff, is still there. But there’s something different. Something more somber, more mature about the tone of the album.
Raleigh-based band The Motion has put its first release, The Arrival EP up for sale at local stores. Schoolkids Records and The Record Exchange will carry the five-song EP at their Hillsborough Street locations. The band says an online store is also in the works.
Will Hoge and company rolled the big purple tour bus into town Thursday night, June 15, for a show at The Pour House.
If you've been anywhere near a TV these past few days you've seen the ads running for Dave Matthews Band's annual jaunt at Walnut Creek. The show is next Wednesday, June 21, and we were a little curious as to why the Creek is still running ads, seeing as these are the shows that used to be famous for selling out in 20 minutes or less.
Fiona Apple and special guest David Garza will make a stop in Cary at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre August 6. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, June 17, at 10 a.m. through your favorite Ticketmaster outlet. They cost $59.50 for reserved seating (you know, the plastic tables waaaay in the back) and $39.50 for the lawn.
Looks like The Record Exchange on Hillsborough Street is getting some long overdue competition in the "live performances" category this summer. Schoolkids Records will install a stage at its Hillsborough Street location.
Just because Lincoln Theatre is closed for the summer doesn't mean downtown Raleigh will be silent for the season. Down the street, the newly revamped and renamed Raleigh Music Hall seems to be benefiting from the closure with the booking of Duncan Sheik — an older name but a big one nonetheless.