Reviews Written by icantswim
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June 24, 2006
The Gusters Return!!!
Pros: The harmonies are back! "Satellite" Rules! Adam Gardner on lead vocals! For one track!
Cons: Too much production! But in a good way! Why am I putting exlamation points everywhere!?!
I've been a Guster fan for about ten years now, when I first experienced them upon moving to Boston. There were two major reasons that I took to them as quickly as I did. First was their unique instrumental lineup -- two guitars and bongos. Second was their song arrangements, with some of the most addictive two-part harmonies this side of the Beatles.
Having loved their first three studio albums -- 1995's Parachute , 1997's Goldfly , and 1999's Lost and Gone Forever, , their last studio effort, 2003's Keep it Together , left me entirely underwhelmed. The two guitars were still there, but the bongos were replaced with a more traditional drum kit. And there were tons of other instruments added in. The two part harmonies had given way to vocals dominated by Ryan Miller. Not necessarily a bad thing -- the album was still far superior to most I heard that year -- but for a Guster record it was disappointing.
So, first the bad news. The instrumentation is still much more complex than the early Guster years, which sometimes distracts from the songs as a whole.
But now the good news. The addictive harmonies are back.
The opening track, "Lightning Rod," had me a little worried; but as soon as you hit track two, "Satellite," you encounter new school Guster that embraces the highly polished sound they tried to achieve in Keep It Together , in a way that harkens back to the raw energy of their earlier albums.
Apart from the previously mentioned "Satellite," highlights on this album include the peppy "Manifest Destiny," the vaguely bluegrassy "The Captain," and the Adam Gardner fronted "Dear Valentine."
Overall, while Ganging Up On The Sun doesn't rise to the level that the boys achieved in Goldfly or Parachute , it is at least as good as, if not slightly better than, Lost and Gone Forever . Its easily the best album I've purchased this year (take THAT, Pearl Jam). ... -
June 22, 2006
iPod, SchmiPod
4 of 4 Yahoo! Users found this review helpfulPros: No iTunes, Multi-format compatibility, AM/FM Radio
Cons: Cons?
I actually went out shopping that day about a year ago intending to buy an iPod. After a lengthy discussion with the clerk at Best Buy, however, I ended up purchasing an iRiver instead. And I have to tell you, it was the best gadget-related decision that I have made in my life thus far.
For one thing, it was instantly compatible with all of the music already in my collection, digital and otherwise. There was no special software to install; the iRiver runs directly through Windows Media Player, found readily on every computer ever made. Ever.
Beyond the realm of digital music, the iRiver also sported several other features that appealed to me that were lacking in the iPod. The AM/FM reciever is surprisingly clear, and a built-in recorder allows you to record from the radio. Moderately illegal, true, but great for recording snippets of tunes that you want to look for later on. There's the image viewer (supposedly to look at album covers, which is a bit lame as a marketing tool; but for a miniature family album to carry around it works fine) and a text viewer (again, supposedly to read e-books on the go; I've used it as a phone book / shopping list / memo pad deal).
What's more, after a year of fairly steady listening, I still haven't experienced any diminished battery life.
I've had friends who have gone through several iPods, and who have experienced nothing but trouble with them. And yet, they keep buying them, for no other reason that I can tell other than market saturation. The iRiver might not have as many cool accessories, or the name value, or whatever you want to call it that keeps people buying them, but it has one thing that the iPod never will: My complete and total satisfaction. ...
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No need for a Greatest Hits album...
Pros: Every track is memorable. Raw power and emotion.
Cons: Cons???
When I originally bought this album, back in the 90's, just after it came out, I couldn't quite appreciate how good it truly was. I was a foolish high schooler who would bite at the next big thing. I listened to this album passionately for three or four months, and then let it go to the wayside for a few years.
Just this past year, I revisited the album, and was blown away by the maturity, seriousness, and fun of the record. There's the tracks that you know -- "I Alone," "Selling the Drama," and "Lightning Crashes." But even after not hearing it for almost ten years, it was the other tracks that I remembered instantly, beat for beat, even lyric for lyric. "Waitress," "S*** Towne," "All Over You," and the band's tour-de-force, and perhaps the greatest song written in the 90's, "White, Discussion," a track that I never listened to all the way through until just this past year.
If you liked some of the afore-mentioned songs back in the 90's, but didn't think much of the band, do yourself a favor and give Throwing Copper a listen. It truly is one of the greatest albums ever. ...