Guster…Ganging Up On The Sun…5/10
It seems as if Guster keeps moving farther and farther away from their original pop, percussion-heavy, happy sound. The escape from the sound it was so known for is kept clear in Ganging Up On the Sun.
Back in the day – the 1990s – Guster was known for band member Brian Rosenworcel’s upbeat percussion on various drums and bongos, usually just playing with his bare hands. In the most recent album, I find more country twang and bitterness than the original sound that made Guster such a breakout band with albums Goldfly and Lost and Gone Forever.
This country twang is found in the track, “”The Captain.”” And a new sound is found in “”The New Underground,”” which is one of the best songs the album has to offer, but sounds like some other band altogether, perhaps Weezer. Maybe if I had never heard Guster before I might be slightly impressed by this album, but I’m not, particularly. At least their harmonious voices are still working for them, which are found on the best, most old-school sounding track, “”C’mon.””
What made Guster so great before was that it sounded like no other band. Most parts of Ganging Up On the Sun sound like they could be any band. And Guster is not just any band.
-Amy Wieseneck
Girl Talk…Night Ripper…10/10
Remember those cheerleading movies that you outwardly expressed distaste for but inwardly made you want to get up and dance? Well, Girl Talk – aka Gregg Gillis – brings you an entire album that sounds like the remixes in the aforementioned movie variety that any person can jive to.
A master of splicing clips ranging from folk to hip-hop, Girl Talk’s third album on Illegal Art Records has something for everyone – including a track with clips from the Black Eyed Peas’ “”My Humps.”” By far, the best Federal Communications Commission-friendly song employs clips from Fleetwood Mac and “”The Tootsie Roll”” song.
It’s safe to say Gillis is the only man who could create such a unique and lovable song. Sure to please dance-crazed teens, geeks, preps and any other social genus, these meticulously mixed songs – each about 1.5 minutes – create an aural 45-minute dance party.
-Alex Kassman
