Customer Reviews

Kimi Ga Suki

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's too bad that there are no plans for US release of this cd becasue it's worthy of it. All of the classic Sweet elements are here, great melodies, tight backing harmonies, and the return of the Richard Lloyd guitar solo. The songs were all written in a single week's time and recorded and mixed in Matthew's home studio with the help of Rik Menck, Richard Lloyd, and Greg Leisz. The sound quality is noticably less polished than the typical MS record and sounds more like a recent Velvet Crush release than the sound we're accustomed to hearing from Matthew. The lower quality doesn't significantly diminish the listening experience however, mainly becasue the songs are just so good. It's really hard to believe that all 12 of them were written in only one week. Overall the mood of the record is fairly light and poppy, not really totally comparable to any one of Matthew's previous records, but remeniscient of bits and pieces of all of them, and even some of Velvet Crush's work too. Despite the high price tag this is a must have cd for the avid Matthew Sweet fan, though maybe not so for the casual listener.
On a technical note, the cd uses CCCD copy protection which means you can't play it at CD quality on your PC or at all if you're a Mac user, at least not without figuring out a way around it which is possible. I've read that this protection format also occasionally makes the cd unreadable by some cd and dvd players so let the buyer beware, but this is probably an rare occurance with older or cheaper players.

If you need a review to convince you to spend $... on this album, then it's probably not for you. But I'll give my perspective. I think this is Matthew's best sounding cd since 100% fun, and maybe even better than 100% fun. Even though it was recorded in his house, it doesn't sound as stripped down and demo-like as Blue Sky on Mars, and doesn't sound as weirdly over-produced as In Reverse (partly because there are actually verses on this album where 5 Matthews aren't singing). In other words, for the first time in years, the production does not distract from Matthew's songwriting. The song writing is surprisingly good considering it was supposedly written in 1 week. There are a few songs on this album that rank right up with his best ever. So, basically this is a positive review, except for the annoying CD copy protection thing. Not only does it install it's own player on your computer when you try to play it on a pc, but it also causes skips at the beginning of every track when you listen to it on a regular player. So it almost ruins the cd, but it doesn't prevent copying, either. It's just annoying.

An outstanding CD well worth the import price. Richard Lloyd is back and Brenden O'Brien is gone. Easily his best album since 100% Fun. 12 killer tracks and the Girlfriend team intact, what's not to love?

This is a very enjoyable disc -- especially for those who might have felt Sweet's last several albums were overly fussy. Basically using the core ensemble he had with "Girlfriend," this album is actually closer to "100% Fun." Worth every penny!

This CD is great, and if you read the note inside the jewel case, it really makes me wish I lived in Japan. This whole CD is dedicated to his Japanese fans, and really, it must be really special for that. I was worried about the copy protection, but I ripped the CD into iTunes with absolutely no problems. Go figure. Great CD, worth the cash to import it!

Yes, it is terribly expensive, but I had to have it. Many of us have been disappointed in the way Matthew's career has gone in recent years, but on this cd produced for the Japanese market, he seems to be on the road to getting his songwriting chops back. This is a home recording, and even if the songs weren't really written and recorded in a week (as advertised), they do seem to have come together in a rush - a bit like a Guided By Voices cd of the previous era. Still, there are two or three things on here that are as good as anything he's done in years. The songs (mostly) seem better thought out from a lyrical standpoint than his last couple of albums. I'm sure no one will be considering buying this unless they are a big fan, so let me say that I spent money I don't have on this cd and - after listening to it -I don't regret it at all. When you hear the first track "Dead Smile," along with "I Don't Want To Know," I think you'll understand why.

This one was well worth the price for me. If you're a Matthew Sweet fan this is very good stuff. I had been wondering what the heck he had been doing for the last three years! The entire affair was recorded in his home, written in one week, and performed with an approximation of his band circa "Girlfriend". The performances are more raw than on his more recent efforts, likely due to the fact that he did not demo any of the songs prior to recording his master. If he can come up with this much material in a week, I wish he would come out with more albums more often! In the meantime, we have The Thorns to look forward to! A great Valentine to Japan. It's a shame that we won't get this release in North America.

If you spent top dollar for this you didn't get ripped off you just got it sooner.Best Sweet album since Girlfriend is now available for regular price! 100% Fun was only 75% so this is 25% better.I got it at a record store for the new low price but I wish I had gotten it earlier. It's that good.

This is hands down the album of the year for me. His last record "In Reverse" was lush, yet it did not hook me in the first time. I found myself enjoying most of the tracks live. This record hooked me from the first song. He came back to basics, and it's great. Thanks to friend in Japan for making sure I got this record asap.

Like many others, thought Matthew's last two albums were duds and self indulgent. Like on stage, he shines when interacting with other talent. Took a chance on this for temp living in Japan and got it for $13. Damn it is fantastic; every song is good and collectively it is sublime. Perhaps he will send the demos of the cuts that did not make the album to Lloyd Cole to hear if there is another super-hit like Girlfriend in the pile. I say 10 more great reviews on Amazon and Matthew will release this in the US...