Matthew Sweet: In Reverse ---Ink Blot Magazine

Matthew Sweet: In Reverse

at a glance...

Hometown: Lincoln, NB
Born: 1964

Personnel:
Matthew Sweet -vocals, guitar, piano
Carol Kaye -bass
Ric Menck -drums
Fred Maher -drums
Tony Marsico -stand-up bass
Greg Leisz -guitar
Pete Phillips -guitar
Pamelia Kurstin -theremin
Bruce Fowler -trombone
Walt Fowler -trumpet

Related Artists:
Lloyd Cole, Richard Lloyd, Golden Palominos, Aimee Mann

Notes:
For most of this decade, Matthew Sweet has been the flag bearer for classic pop-rock craft in an era which has seen grunge, electronica and ska come and go. Like Tom Petty, Sweet has - despite his less than fashionable choice of medium - managed to build up a considerable body of consistent work and a significant fan base along the way. After the relatively obscure Zoo decided to take a chance with Sweet, and 1991's Girlfriend was the result. It was the first album Sweet recorded with a live band, and its sound was considerably more immediate and raw than its predecessors. This new approach paid dividends and Girlfriend was a commercial and critical success. Sweet's next two records, Altered Beast (1993) and 100% Fun (1995), were both critically acclaimed and relatively successful albums, with the latter reaching gold status and making many year-end "Best Of" lists. Blue Sky On Mars (1997) received mixed reviews and it failed to match the success of its immediate predecessor.

Matthew Sweet *In Reverse* Volcano, Released 1999

Matthew Sweet's In Reverse is a concept album but only in the subtlest of ways. On some of the tracks, Sweet elected to employ the Phil Spector "Wall-of-Sound" method (albeit stripped down) by recording multiple instruments "live" in the studio with minimal overdubs. This technique has opened up greater possibilities for Sweet's tune-friendly material -- it sounds more natural, more spontaneous, and more "alive" than before.

You know you're in for a groovy ride when the trumpets (ala Arthur Lee's Love) punctuate the self-conscious opener "Millennium Blues." This psychedelic nuance is emphasized by the backward guitar intro to "Beware My Love." Elsewhere, Sweet raves it up with the melodic Neil Young-ish rockers "Faith In You" and "Split Personality." Conversely, he pours it on thick with the gorgeous ballads "Hide" and "Worse to Live" - which deserve to be played to death on radios all over the world along with the breezy and infectious "I Should Never Let You Know." Unrelenting in scope and quality, Sweet manages to top it all with the Wilsonesque suite "Thunderstorm," which is actually four songs woven into one coherent tapestry.

At the beginning of this review, I described In Reverse as a concept album. If it only succeeds in making you appreciate the rich inspiration of the sixties as manifested in Matthew Sweet's sublime songcraft, then that concept has become a vital reality - the power of pop!

If you like Matthew Sweet, check out:
Television Marquee Moon
Varnaline Sweet Life
Matthew Sweet Girlfriend
Matthew Sweet 100% Fun
Jason Falkner Can You Still Feel
John Faye Power Trip John Faye Power Trip
Owlsey Owlsey

-- km

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