Here’s a track from 1999’s Lost and Gone Forever, the third studio album by Boston-based indie rock band Guster.
This album was my introduction to Guster and I put it up there with follow-up Keep It Together as the best thing they’ve done.
On this album, the band was still sticking to its “no sticks” percussion philosophy, with drummer Brian Rosenworcel playing bongos and other instruments by hand.
That drum technique does a lot to make this song work, as do the plaintive vocals of frontman Adam Gardner.
The band says they wrote this track late in the recording process for Lost and Gone Forever and never got around to finishing it. Personally, I like the short running time and simplicity of the song.
We went down to the May parade
Mumbled words under my breath
There is something I’ve been meaning to do
I am dying to tell you
I’ve been so damn tired
[Verse 2]
It went down at the May parade
Bitter words under my breath
There is something I’ve been dying to do
I was meaning to tell you
I’ve been so damn sad
Cause I spy something red
[Chorus]
You don’t know how far you’ve gone
Or recognize who you’ve become
How’d you grow to be so hard?
Sick of playing my part
[Verse 3]
We went down at the May parade
Alcohol under my breath
There is something I’ve been meaning to do
I am dying to tell you
I’ve been so damn sad
Cause I spy something red
[Chorus]
You don’t know how far you’ve gone
Or recognize who you’ve become
When’d you grow to be so hard?
Sick of playing my part
I agree the song feels complete to me.