Girlfriend
Matthew Sweet
Zoo, 1991
Reviewed by
Troy Carpenter
Young love is pop music's most enduring and endearing subject, and on Girlfriend,
Matthew Sweet renews its prominence, guiding listeners through a full thematic exploration
of the teen relationship.
Sweet gives Big Star-esque power pop a shot in the arm with this early '90s update. Having
honed his songwriting and playing skills in his first band Buzz of Delight and on two
little-known solo efforts, Sweet comes into his own on Girlfriend, playing most
of the album's guitars and all of its bass and multi-layered vocals. Powerful lead guitar
work by the all-star cast of Robert Quine, Lloyd Cole and Richard Lloyd adds the perfect
rock texture to the record.
The album moves chronologically through a love affair, first pleading for "Divine
Intervention," and then focusing on the coveted subject in "I've Been
Waiting".
On the title track, Sweet captures the ebullience of a relationship's first spark, Robert
Quine's scorching lead guitar backing up Sweet's confident gesture: "You got a good
thing going baby, you just need somebody to love!"
Then just as easily, Sweet jangles into another stage of the relationship on "Looking
At The Sun," reluctantly admitting that the shine of love can blind, and cripple
those too close to it.
The second side of the record explores the more traditional love emotion of rock: loss.
With the likes of "Thought I Knew You," "You Don't Love Me," and
"Don't Go," Sweet languishes in the deep pits of teen rejection, aching melodies
still bubbling up to the top of the mix.
"I Wanted To Tell You" is one of Sweet's best-ever tracks, the perfect blend of
tightly marching acoustic guitars, a country-tinged lead, and Sweet's impeccable
many-sided vocal harmonies.
He ends the album with a fitting pair of summary statements - the dark rocker "Holy
War" and the plaintive, acoustic "Nothing Lasts." The latter was once
the working title for the album, and its sentiment ties up the record tightly - through
all these emotions, Sweet is now back at the beginning, waiting for divine intervention or
his next Girlfriend.
