Guster: Goldfly Gets Rough

At their sold-out Avalon CD-release party a few weeks back, Guster ripped through a fiery hour-long acoustic set that far bettered the disc they were out supporting, Goldfly (Aware). Hence the Guster paradox: stellar live shows that consistently win new fans with an unlikely blend of monstrous energy and hooky folk rock, but recorded material that just never comes to life. Most of the time, enjoying their albums is largely dependent on having seen a Guster show.

That said, Goldfly comes closer to capturing the live sound that earned them a loyal fan base and a Boston Music Award for Best Live Band. It's also a departure from the trademark Guster sound; their 1994 debut, Parachute (Aware), featured peppy, upbeat songs with catchy melodies and sold upward of 18,000 copies. On Goldfly, the unusual line-up is unchanged -- Ryan Miller and Adam Gardner on acoustic guitar and oft-harmonized vocals, Brian Rosenworcel on bongos -- but the songs have not remained the same. No more Indigo Boys. No more "Happy Frappy," the radio-play song noteworthy for its irrepressible pep and hook line, "The way I float along." No floating now. The mix is darker, rawer -- Guster even uses overdrive on their Takamine acoustic guitars in some songs. Producer Steve Lindsey added bass to flesh out the recording and highlighted the low end; Gardner's strong, throaty voice, which carried the first album, takes a back seat to Miller's expressive whine. Even the harmonies, which blend live, tend on the album to emphasize Miller.

The result is a less polished, more interesting album. Miller's voice is at its most haggard on "Great Escape," the closest Guster have yet come to straight-ahead rock. Relying on mach-speed bongo playing and sharp acoustic strumming, it sounds more like Michael Stipe fronting an unplugged Sonic Youth than the distortion-heavy grunge that could have made it an alterna-rock hit. It's a contagious melody, but the unique sound is destined to be left out of the Buzz Bin.

Even without a fuzzbox, Guster still manage to rock, and that's always been their appeal. They haven't totally abandoned the Parachute vibe. "Bury Me" and "Grin" will certainly satisfy those interested in bouncing around the room. Both tracks feature happy, nice-guys vocals bopping along at speedy tempos, with melodies as catchy as typhoid. But now there's an edge to them. And the ballads have a punchier aura -- behind the tender acoustic melody of "Demons" lies a fuzzy guitar riff.

Despite the dark undercurrents, the aggressively optimistic melodies are everywhere, even when the subjects or backing tracks venture to less happy places. Guster groove a little on the rollicking "Medicine," but the guitar rhythms are in-your-face. The driving "Getting Even" explores darker patches in a minor key. Only on "Airport Song" do they push their newfound angst too far, falling into a pretentious mode of Peter Gabriel wanna-bes, with Gardner announcing in all seriousness, "I'm your daddy now." The band, meanwhile, try to build up the textures for a "One"-like climax, but the result is, well, flatulent.

Empty gas aside, the band here take a step toward capturing their concert persona. Goldfly also marks a huge step forward for Guster on the maturity meter, and their ability to sell out Avalon is an indication of how far they've come -- their last CD-release party was held in a Tufts dining hall while they were students there. BAs in hand and a two-year tour under their belts, Guster are closer than ever to an album that does their concerts justice. By getting rougher, they're getting better.

-- Dan Tobin