AIPTO: Lost and Gone Forever (Guster)

Who? Similar to the plan for talking about each member of BNL on their own, the assortment of Guster side-projects has allowed me to give each Guster a spot without breaking the two-album rule. Today is Brian’s day. It feels weird to say that Brian is the drummer because he’s so much more than that. He’s…well, they call him Thundergod for a reason—the man has magic hands. I can’t describe to you how awesome it is to watch him play (aside from at the end of Come Downstairs and Say Hello—not that it isn’t amazing, but it makes the sides of my hands hurt). If I were able to draft a dream-band, he’d be first on the list. But it doesn’t stop with serious skills, Brian’s also really friendly in person, and he blogs. Both of these things get you major points in my book. Also, if this isn’t the best article about drumming you’ve read then I think you need to shift your standards.
Why it’s awesome: This is a really aggressive album, or at least that's what I'm going to say. It's high energy and a lot of the songs have this "I'm not taking your shit anymore," vibe. I think everyone needs a good arsenal of those. This is also a really well-ordered album, track wise. I don't feel like that sort of thing is necessary to have a good album, but it adds something extra when there's a good arrangement. If you're interested, you can buy all five of Guster's albums from their website for $40, which really isn't bad. (I think it's great, but then...I think Guster is better than a long nap on a rainy day.)
In One Word: Gold.
Song Rec: Barrel of a Gun. Listen to the drums, guys. That’s what awesome sounds like.
Link: Guster.com