Ryan Miller (of Guster), ‘Big Machine’ – Song Review

Romance, individuality, time travel -- these are the virtues praised in ‘Big Machine,’ the soft and catchy new track from Ryan Miller, the frontman of Guster.

Featuring gentle xylophone, hopeful piano and Miller’s rich vocals, the idealistic ballad has all the elements of adult contemporary gold.

The track is off of the soundtrack for ‘Safety Not Included,’ a quirkhouse time travel romantic comedy (there aren’t enough of those) starring Aubrey Plaza, the cute girl from 'Parks and Recreation,' and Mark Duplass, the charming goof from 'The League.' The plot goes something like this: A trio of disgruntled magazine employees (one of them Plaza) check out an ad asking for a time travel companion (posted by Duplass). As expected, a romance between the two blossoms. And so, in the film, Duplass’ character plays Ryan Miller's nonconformist serenade to woo Plaza.

Combing hair, standing up straight, getting to work on time -- these are the offenses redressed by the Miller/Duplass chimera, the singer and the actor frustrated that “Everyone in the big machine / Tries to break your heart, pull you underneath.” That’s intense -- intense enough that you want to go back in time.

Guster, your college roommate's favorite band, scored a major chart hit with the ultra lovely single ‘Fa Fa’ back in 2000. Their last release, ‘Easy Wonderful,' came out in 2010, which makes hearing Miller’s voice kind of like traveling through time.

Listen to Ryan Miller (of Guster)'s 'Big Machine'