Matthew Sweet
Girlfriend
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Matthew Sweet
Girlfriend
Zoo, 1991
RiYL: Television, Pixies, Big Star |
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 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, as Quine's scorching lead guitar backs 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, with 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.
TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.