Album Review: Guster – Ooh La La

Alternative is a big word in music. In a world where there are so many choices outside of what is fed to us on radio and television, almost anything could be considered “an alternative”—in the literal sense of the word. But when that indie rock group makes it big, is championed by the music industry, and shows up on playlists at your local pharmacy, are they really alternative any more? So what then, is alternative music? It must be some other thing: a subversion of the machine, where joy becomes the greatest act of rebellion. It is a band who tours because they love it, makes music for the pleasure of sound, and is driven by their relationship with fans. They disregard the system because they are sipping on something greater. In my mind, that group has always been Guster.

Their forthcoming album, Ooh La La plays in realms of delight and equanimity. Its themes remind us to focus on the easy and wonderful parts of life. The third track on the album “All Day”, has a piercing and clean line that says, “Just like I told you, we got all day.” Another track, “Keep Going” uses its classic acoustics and vocal harmonies, and affirms “it’s okay, I’m alright.” As if we might have been late for something, but Guster is telling us to slow down, relax, we’ll get there when we get there—we’re here now and it’s all good. 

In a world where there is so much ‘bad’ to look at, Guster reminds us to be dreamy, to let the sanctuary of our own bodies inform our reality. The track “Gaugin, Cezanne (Everlasting Love)” tells the story of finding acid on the lawn of a museum, wandering around impressionist masterpieces, and gleaning the wisdom from the universe. The album is a pleasant romp of a sound you may remember fondly from their 30 years of creating. 

And is there a greater act of rebellion than being unbothered? The yogis have an expression upeksanam, which loosely translated means: disregard the wicked. There is an idea that the most powerful way to remove bad juju from the planet is to disregard it. It’s this idea that all things require attention to exist, and so it’s an important duty to focus on only the things we want to see more of. Guster has a kind of incidental enlightenment to this end. They step into a room and don’t look for a problem—but rather, are in awe, and then say “Ooh La La.”

In 2003, “Careful” by Guster was the first song I heard that showed me there was art out beyond the radio that was out there to be discovered. The song was shown to me by a friend at her boathouse deck on a beautiful afternoon while studying chemistry notes. It was my gateway into a world of discovery and exploration around music. Guster provides that gentle first step out of the door of what could be. That there is more to the world that what is being shown to you, and it is lovely.

Guster‘s Ooh La La is out on Friday, May 17th. Listen to the pre-released tracks here!