Aural Fixations
MATTHEW SWEET
Kimi Ga Suki
Living Things
(Superdeformed/RCAM)
It's been way too long since we heard from Matthew Sweet. After his last album, the unheralded masterpiece In Reverse, he parted ways with his label and dropped out of circulation for a while to reassess where he'd next take his career. Last year he released Kimi Ga Suki in Japan only, as a way of saying thanks for the support from his Far Eastern fans. Now he's released it in his home country, joined by the brand new Living Things. While differing in significant ways, the two records have similarities. Both were written and recorded quickly in Sweet's home studio, with Sweet and Velvet Crush drummer Ric Menck creating the structural backbones and string-slinger Greg Leisz adding texture. Both have faint but unmistakable psychedelic tinges, more so than anything Sweet has done since his days in his 80s combo Buzz of Delight. And, of course, both have the memorable pop melodies and lush vocal harmony stacks for which Sweet is famous, though noting that is like commenting that the sun came out today.
The differences in intent mark these records more than any differences in method. Kimi Ga Suki focuses more on the crunchy guitar rock of Sweet's breakthrough Girlfriend—it's no coincidence that Girlfriend guest Richard Lloyd adds his inimitable lead guitar snarls to this record as well. Cuts like the snappy "Hear This," the goofy but fun "Tonight We Ride" and the surprisingly heavy "I Love You" will bring smiles to the faces of fans waiting for Sweet to drop the production flourishes and just rock the heck out. There's more variety than that, though; "Wait" jangles nicely and "Love is Gone" and "The Ocean In-Between" flow through the ballad realm as bittersweetly as anything he's ever done. Kimi Ga Suki isn't an artistic breakthrough of any kind; it's simply a high quality snapshot of Sweet doing what he does best. [buy it]
Living Things is more conceptual, revolving around notions of, well, life, as in animals, people, green things. In order to fit the organic theme, Sweet uses more acoustic sounds, including Van Dyke Parks' piano and accordion and Leisz's mandolin collection in addition to his guitars. Nature find itself used literally in "The Big Cats of Shambala" (which struggles mightily against the irritating steel drums running through it) and as metaphor in "Sunlight," "In My Tree" and the jaunty "Cats Vs. Dogs." Complimenting the theme, the sound remains lush as a wheat field at dawn throughout. Sweet deviates from his green thread from time to time, of course, as the shimmering ballad "You're Not Sorry," jangly pop tune "Push the Feelings" and melodramatic set piece "I Saw Red" could stand proudly on any of his albums. Though perhaps a bit more modest in its presentation than it could have been, Living Things is certainly one of the prettiest records Sweet has ever made. Regardless of conceptual differences, both albums still boast Sweet's easy gift for melody; fans of the man and of guitar pop in general will have their rods set giddily a-twirl. Michael Toland [buy it]
