by Dawn and Oliver St John

     Fans of this Massachusetts collective's fifth album Ganging Up On The Sun have been waiting. When the material you are used to is as good as this, no amount of it could stop you from wanting still more, and Guster's brand-new EP Satellite delivers. In addition to the title track (and current single), this EP holds four further songs from the album's recording sessions, along with one remix and two live covers.

     After the EP's title track (previously released on the aforementioned full-length album) comes "G Major," which was an integral part of the Guster setlist before Ganging Up's tracklist was finalized. It's a classic acoustic-driven stomp, and easily up to the same standard as the material which did in fact make the cut. As singer-guitarist Adam Gardner told The Green Room some months ago, many tracks were left off the album simply because they didn't fit into the album's flow rather than due to any comparative lack of quality. The song illustrates Guster's newfound liking for politically-driven lyrics, with its message of cutting through the bull to see "what's really going on."

     The next track, "Rise & Shine", is a softer number in 3/4 time. The chorus is beautiful and catchy, and was one of the first bits to catch my ear. A string interlude before the last verse leaves me swaying along. Though as is not uncommon with Guster's music, the lyrics tell a very different story from the impression left by the music itself.

     After this, it's back to rocking the place down with the bright, uptempo "Timothy Leary." For anyone unfamiliar with Dr. Leary's work, he was a psychologist whose focus was largely on 'touch' therapy. He is also referenced in a number of Robert Anton Wilson's works about The Illuminati. And last but not least, he was also responsible for bringing LSD into the world. His musical namesake speaks about broadening horizons and opening your mind to all possibilities, principles with which Mr. Leary himself was often associated.

     "I'm Through", which follows this, was scrapped the first time around, and the album track "C'mon" rose from its ashes using some of the same sections, but the band managed to resurrect it after all, and present it here as an alternative. There may be arguments between Guster fans - and in fact have been debates here at The Green Room - as to which is the superior. With Satellite's release, it no longer needs to be an 'either-or' situation.

    Following this are The Astronauts Remix of the title track, which introduces an element of electronica hitherto foreign to Guster and yet manages to make it work extremely well. They follow up this experimental remix with an incredible live cover of the Beatles' "Two Of Us" which allows the band to show of their amazing knack for vocal harmonies. And finally, the EP closes with their version of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse Of The Heart," which is almost legendary among Guster fans. You see, for this cover, drummer Brian Rosenworcel steps up to the mic for lead vocals.

    Any longtime Guster fan will tell you that this is inadvisable, and the rest of the band knows this as well... and yet the inherent comedy is just another part of the Guster show.

    The band continue their environmental activism with this release, the production emissions having been fully offset - along with those of their entire back catalog - by their record label, Warner Bros. Records.

     All told, I'd rate this EP a 8.5/10 - some great material here, but guys? I'm still waiting to get my hands on a recording of "Emily Ivory".