Music I Am Fond Of

Ramona - Guster (from the album Keep It Together)

I had a bad introduction to the music of Guster. My parents had bought the album this song comes from, Keep It Together, and every Friday night for a year or two they’d make a few drinks, sit by a fire if it was wintertime, and put on an iPod that would invariably end up playing some Guster. Because I was usually within earshot, I heard more than my fill of Guster’s Keep It Together, and I soon grew incredibly sick of it.

But listening to it later, I found a lot to like in Guster. Their unique use of hand percussion, the interplay between the band’s two vocalists, the lyrics that stand up to analysis, and the generally excellent melodies and harmonies they write really stuck me, and I found myself playing this album a lot. It’s a really good, relaxed pop album, the kind there should be more of.