Guster, Easy Wonderful (Universal Republic Records, 2010)

Guster have spent over a decade making alternative rock with a sunny pop sensibility.  When I reviewed their previous CD Ganging Up on the Sun, I noted that their music was consistently good, even if the lack of an obvious standout song hurt their commercial prospects somewhat.  Ryan Miller, Adam Gardner, Brian Rosenworcel, and Joe Pisapia (who's since been replaced by Luke Reynolds) returned in 2010 with their sixth studio album, called Easy Wonderful.  The results are, for the most part, more of the same.

As with Ganging Up on the Sun, there are plenty of songs on Easy Wonderful that are at least decent.  "Do You Love Me" is the kind of love song that could get lots of summer airplay, assuming one or two DJs found it in the first place.  "This Could All Be Yours" is a fun upbeat rocker as well, and "Bad Bad World" is an easy song to sing along with.  My favorite song is "What You Call Love," a rare breakup song that manages to be fun and catchy while still making its point.

Unfortunately, the album derails a bit when religion is invoked.  "Stay with Me Jesus" is either a painfully naive song of gratitude for being protected when other people weren't, or a failed attempt at irony.  The title line of "That's No Way to Get to Heaven" just doesn't fit with the rest of the song, and the meaning of the chorus of "Jesus and Mary" remains confounding after multiple listens.

As a result, Easy Wonderful is not quite up to the same standard of consistency that Guster have set for themselves in the past.  Having said that, there's still a sufficient amount of quality on the album to justify the purchase.

Overall grade: B

reviewed by Scott

The video for "Do You Love Me"

Jets Overhead, bridges (Microgroove, 2006) and Guster, Ganging Up on the Sun (Reprise, 2006)

I'd like to take a break from my usual approach to music writing to do a comparative review of new albums from two alternative rock bands. The first, Jets Overhead, is a new Canadian band whose 2006 album bridges is their debut. The second band, Guster, hails from Boston and has been playing together since the early nineties. Ganging Up on the Sun, also from last year, is their fifth studio album. Both bands essentially embrace a similar two-guitars, bass, and drums sound. Jets Overhead is a bit louder on the whole, but Guster can crank the amps up when they feel like it as well. The more experienced Guster come across as the more polished and consistent band, but Jets Overhead's album has an obvious standout track. While I'm not certain how either band is doing commercially, I can't help getting the feeling that current musical trends will hinder the prospects of the stronger of these two albums.

I suppose the first thing that sticks out about Jets Overhead is the presence of two women in the band without either being the lead vocalist. Jocelyn Greenwood plays bass while Antonia Freybe-Smith sings backup, filling a similar role in Jets Overhead that Flora Reed fills in Winterpills. (I reviewed Winterpills' debut here last year, and will be getting to their new album shortly.) Adam Kitteredge sings and plays guitar, with Piers Henwood also playing guitar and Lucas Renshaw drumming. The music of Jets Overhead tends to be a bit somber and edgy, but they do have some potent choruses. Most of the album is decent if unspectacular, but the second song "Killing Time" is a great rocker that should turn plenty of heads.

Most of the songs on Ganging Up on the Sun could be classified as mid-tempo alternative rock, although Guster are capable of rocking out and also throwing some banjo or a jazzy trumpet into the mix for good measure. This record has a refreshing amount of musical maturity, and vocalist/guitarist Ryan Miller and Adam Gardner, drummer Brian Rosenworcel, and multi-instrumentalist Joe Pisapia really do sound like they've been playing together for a while. The CD has produced three singles in "Satellite," "One Man Wrecking Machine," and "C'Mon," of which the Big Star-style power pop of "C'Mon" is my favorite. My other favorites are "Manifest Destiny" and the hard-rocking "The Beginning of the End." But the album is pretty deep, and I get the feeling that there would be no obvious consensus on which song is best.

Unfortunately, at a time when people are looking for one or two songs to download onto their iPods, the depth of an album like Ganging Up On The Sun might get overlooked. Jets Overhead, despite having the weaker album on the whole, at least has a song that will demand more attention if it gets some airplay. This isn't meant as a knock on the Canadian band, mind you; bridges is still an encouraging debut that will hopefully serve as a springboard to more solid efforts in the future. I'm just worried that people aren't paying enough attention to albums as a whole anymore, and that acts like Guster will fall through the cracks as a result.

Overall grades:

Jets Overhead B-
Guster B+

Jets Overhead

Guster