Guster: One Man Wrecking Machine (EP)

Local boys Guster threw out a 5 track EP, One Man Wrecking Machine, in anticipation of their forthcoming album, Ganging Up On the Sun. Is it worth the 7 bucks? Totally.

It's got a three new tracks, and two bonus tracks. The bonus stuff is worth it for the demo version of their hit Two At a Time, which has lots of fun casio keyboard effects at the beginning. The other bonus track, Good Feeling, I'm not familiar with, but it's a beautiful piece performed live.

The new tunes are:
One Man Wrecking Machine is a simple pop-rock tune. It'll need to be radio edited for airplay, but it shows how the sound of Guster has matured over the years.
Days reminds me of a number of Beatles tunes, but I'm hardpressed to come up with a name. But it's my favourite of the new tracks.
Ruby Falls is a long tune, especially for these guys, weighing in at 7 minutes. The thing that catches your attention on this tune is the emotion that the guitar is loaded with in the chorus.

In the end: If you want a cheap way to test the Guster waters, this is the way to go. If you're a fan, you should own this. Really, this is a great sampler of a great Boston band. You won't be disappointed, and it'll only cost 7 bucks. That's less than a martini and most Boston bars.

On the web: Archive.org comes to the again with 219 (and climbing) Guster bootlegs

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