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Guma 2016 (2021 Remaster)

by Guma

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Issued for the first time on vinyl in 2021, this edition of Guma (2016) comes with new liner notes by Zach Hart of We Listen For You.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Guma 2016 (2021 Remaster) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    edition of 300 

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  • Cassette + Digital Album

    Issued for the first time on cassette in 2021, this edition of Guma (2016) comes with new liner notes by Zach Hart of We Listen For You.

    In stock and shipping immediately!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Guma 2016 (2021 Remaster) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    edition of 100 

      $10 USD or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 6 Guma releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Workingman's Guma, Highway 10 Blues, Driving the Highways of Texas, A List of Sightings, Guma, and Guma 2016 (2021 Remaster). , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $32 USD or more (20% OFF)

     

1.
If I'm being actual And I am, I know No such thing as no time Go out of town, and it's still with me So sweet, but I don't want to overeat Could you hear us saying it? "I do" I do all the time, every day If we go upstate where you almost did it It's OK to think about everything All right moving right along Good like a true trip, everything is on When she is, isn't it a thrill? Don't it make you think we could have a real thing? We could have a real feast All right moving right ahead Good like a true trip, living with the Dead When I am, isn't it a kick? Don't it make you think we could have a real thing? We could have a real feast
2.
Try to talk about the hue Given inadequate words Talk about "gardening the real" To hear Gene tell it, you just wouldn't believe how it could make you feel So what have I seen? I saw a golden light I saw a pale blue stain I saw your face in the woods, and I didn't even try I saw the way I live, and I thought about the way I'd die Let me in, let me in Let me know you're doing okay Let me know you got out and you're on the run To hear Nick tell it, you just wouldn't believe how much you could miss someone Soft mobile tones I heard a howling wind I heard the sound of sin in a sylvan bower I heard myself in the woods, under my breath, saying, "I love you" And I think about you every hour You bring it back into the middle And the middle is an ordinary place And the middle has the same amount of spiritual wealth But you have every right on every plane to be wishing you were somewhere else Selfish, I know But I want to do it all I want to do everything with you I want to wake up early, or in the middle of the night I want to get you, and I want to do you right
3.
Come into my arms, I'm waiting Couldn't you see yourself here? Pitch wet and given to rambling about nothing at all Yeah, but wouldn't you like to hear? Give it a day or two I know you're getting blues like cold is catching It is a river it will run right through And every day you can get hungry knowing that I'll cook for you Sing a different song, I'm tired of that one I know I like the tune, but it's killing me Come into my house, it's, well, it's not really mine But I've been living here since June Give it a day or two I know you're getting blues like cold is catching It is a river it will run right through And every day you can get hungry knowing that I'll cook for you And I like to
4.
Dumb Luck 05:50
Dumb luck would have it But I'd rather it not The mud gets in And the transmission gets shot Where the doorway meets the room Where the gravestone meets the tomb Dumb luck would have it Do other people think about their other lovers? I couldn't tell you But tell me I'm yours More than a good fuck More than just dumb luck
5.
Great Neck 04:43
You took some getting to, but I got to you Well, I usually do I know it's not polite to write about you But it's doing me good I'm making movies with your body I won't be putting you through it, dear Like I usually do You don't have to be neat but you have to be mine Before you sign the paper you really should read every word I'm gonna make movies with your body But when the song is a different tune And I know it's a good time Well defined by a growing pain in my side You know, I start to feel like that guy from that movie Who was it? I can't recall
6.
Big, young hips And a dress I can see through You look tired, and it gets to be past 1AM But you know your face lights up when I make you come Words of love When I feel like singing a song to you But I rarely do There, there me Talking too much about how I used to be But my summers do have a curfew And I wind up sleeping for a day or two But I have a precious friend And I ain't worried about how it's gonna end Would it be much easier to quit If I were an idiot?
7.
Diamond Love 03:38
Listen up you diamond lovers You know you got it good, you motherfuckers You got that diamond love And you got it like a rock gets in an easy place Hear me you death palm packer I thank of you don't count my cards You got that evil eye And you're staring down my time I got a plus one for her, don't make me explain She's got that four-point body And you know I'm getting lost in it Ink and sweat Hair and makeup Eyebrows and eyes, too Hear me you good game enders If I had a little more regret I'd be struck down from behind loving with envy My girlfriends would agree If I know my diamond lovers You do your fucking underneath the covers But I am an idea man Approach it with a plan I'm coming over And I'm going to do something to you And I like it all
8.
If you’ve got a lover then you’ve got to love her and you should And if all of the others visit in a dream, she won’t make a scene If you’ve got to love her, you’ve just got to love her and you should If you can feel the mother, feel the womb, it’s the right thing to do To the state of my birth will I ever return? Every waking moment spent searching for that urn Do you have space in you? To the state of my birth will I ever get back? I’ve seen north Georgia on a downward track It’s not that I need blue pine slopes, Red mud, and a glass of Coke If I’ve got a lover then I’m going to love her as I should And if all of the others visit in a dream, I won’t say a thing If you’ve got to love him you’ve just got to love him and you should If you can feel the coffin, feel the tomb, it’s the only thing to do To the state of my birth will I ever get me No fault in the past, no fear in virgin territory No caffeine when you die, no sugar To non-being and to being Live in one, think about the other Think about swapping, think again I don’t like that idea But it visits in a dream and you can’t say a thing

about

Guma was originally recorded to 2” tape in January 2016 at West West Side Music in New Windsor, NY. This 2021 remaster and first-time vinyl and cassette issue were taken from first generation digital mixdowns made to the high fidelity Sony Direct Stream Digital (DSD) format. For the first time since the last roll of the tape up in the Hudson River valley, Guma sounds as vibrant and welcoming as it is.

With this recording in 2016, T.J. Masters kicked off a trilogy of records that now includes a second self-titled LP from 2019 and is completed with 2022’s A List of Sightings. Gold Robot Records is proud to offer a limited, high quality vinyl run of Guma this fall. The 2021 edition comes with liner notes written especially for this release by Zach Hart of We Listen For You.

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As everyone ponders the death of the album, T.J. Masters’s Guma is the perfect reminder that every sound within every track can still come together to build a dazzling world that results in a complete artistic document. It’s there and ready to be enjoyed by anyone willing to sit back, press play, and go on the full journey. As the lead vocalist of NYC’s Conveyor, Masters demonstrated a knack for melding his vocals to melody; like gum to a shoe, his melodies tend to stick, stretch, and keep every piece of the music connected. With Guma, Masters allows himself to indulge in this practiced connectivity, and the result is a perfect blend between voice and melody.

I’ve always marveled at the skill needed to be a clockmaker; it is an art all its own, with its own requirements of precision, science, and complexity. I feel the same way about clockmaking as I do Masters’s production on Guma. The recordings are beautifully balanced between the sleek presentation of each instrument and a kind of purely retained human quality. Fingers are heard moving across guitar strings, the thoughts behind each note seem to be present in the production, and Masters’s vocals radiate as if he’s singing right in front of the listener. The complexity of this production is a magic trick of sorts; Masters delivers perfect studio quality while somehow retaining intimacy. Where many albums trade one for the other, Guma sets the blueprint for how clean production can find harmony with authenticity.

Guma is indeed a craftsman’s album: it is versatile, yet every second feels connected to the larger artistic document. You can take this one out on a walk, or look out the window on a long drive with an introspective smile as you catch yourself in the rear-view mirror, or throw it on at home and feel your surroundings fill with honest warmth in the form of music. The MVP on this record is the bouncy, shimmering, and at times smartly restrained guitar work that delights from track to track. The guitars always seem to be in front of the listener with clever changes in form, tone, and volume. Every guitar riff rolls out through the speakers like a welcome guest as layers and layers of intelligent playing build on song after song.

To me, this album is tropical Scott Walker.

This album is the colorful blast of light that reflects off the astronaut mask of Dr. David Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

This album is a great ocean reef where delightfully whimsical sounds cohabitate.

But the most important thing I can write concerning the magic of Guma isn’t what is to me. It’s that I am certain that anyone who experiences this album from start to finish will emerge with a laundry list of “to me’s” all their own. You can’t ask for a greater gift from art.

Guma is a perfectly calculated tapestry of authentic vision and voice. T.J. Masters shares emotion unwavering, brightness never dimmed, and a singular voice inviting you to participate in his truth, explore your own, or simply enjoy an artist offering a complete demonstration of how important the album format can be. Even in the face of streaming services, the ascendance of the almighty playlist, being conditioned to skip from track to track, artist to artist, and the supposed death knell of the album-as-art… When I listen to Guma, I’m certain the art of creating a fully realized world of sound will never die.

— Zach Hart, Louisville, KY

credits

released May 17, 2016

T.J. Masters - vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, electric bass, keyboards, percussion

with
Michael Pedron - electric and double bass on 4, 5, 6, 7
John Thayer - drums on 1, 4, 5, 7

Produced by T.J. Masters at West West Side Music, New Windsor, NY

Recorded January 4-8, 2016
Engineered by Matt Crawford

Special thanks to Alan Douches

2021 master by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering, Ventura, CA

Photography by T.J. Masters except
Portrait by Michael Pedron
Layout by Robert Carroll

All songs written by T.J. Masters
Published by Guma University Publishing (BMI)

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tags

about

Guma Austin, Texas

T.J. Masters is a writer, musician, and community radio host in Austin, TX.

Guma is the name of the group.

Small Cool World airs every Thursday from 4:30pm-6:00pm on KOOP 91.7FM in Austin or online at koop.org
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