Customer Reviews

Sunshine Lies

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As rabid fan of the big 3, I've liked the most recent CDs fine. I liked this one quite a bit too the first weeks I had it. Something happened though, at the GAMH show in SF: Great band + Hot groovy fun, and suddenly I could properly hear Sunshine Lies, even the tracks he didn't play that night. Somehow the key to the puzzle was transmitted to me--by means of feedback, I'm guessing...the mechanism is unclear.

This is an extreme set of songs, seriously over-the-top as both ear candy and lyric sincerity. I think the step required to access Sunshine Lies is awakening the silly 16 year old rocker within, so play it LOUD. Delivering rueful musings of experience wrapped in these shimmery Pet-Sounds-kind of pop gloss produces a dissonance that works for me. Sunshine Lies asserts sweet optimism even after all that young rocker has seen and done, a neat trick.

(I Need A) Room to Rock In is our new house motto. And Back of My Mind is the best album-ender since Party Girl.

Thanks, Matthew!! I needed that.

Matthew has his own musical path he's following, and you're welcome to come along, and if not, you have to admit he never puts less than 100% of himself into his music. I have albums of his I like better than others, but there's never been one that didn't hook me hard with at least a few songs. I'm pleased he's back after far too long a hiatus. I look forward to seeing him in concert again in San Francisco.

When I last heard a new Matthew Sweet record, it was the disappointing "Blue Sky on Mars". Sweet, for whatever reason, went in a different direction and played nearly all the instruments himself, deciding not to bring back the core team of Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine, Ivan Julian. and Greg Leisz. Those instrumentalists are what made the sound of "Girlfriend", "Altered Beast" and "100% Fun" so distinctive. At that time I figured that maybe Sweet's best work had run its course and as a result his subsequent work fell off my radar.

That's what makes my reaction towards hearing "Sunshine Lies" so ironic. The core team from Sweet's glory days is back (sans Quine, who passed away a few years ago) and they recapture some of the old magic, but in ways that are mostly superficial. "ByrdGirl" recalls the shimmering psychedelic pop of "Girlfriend". "Room to Rock" brings back the dissonant guitar squall of songs like "Knowing People" from "Altered Beast". "Feel Fear" recaptures the melancholy vibe of "Smog Moon" from "100% Fun". But there isn't really any new ground being broken here. Like most of the record, it's all good stuff but it makes you feel like you're at a high school reunion. It's great to revisit the good times with old friends but you know it can't be the same as actually reliving it all over again.

If you're a fan of Matthew Sweet's "classic" period, you will enjoy this disc but perhaps find it to be a not quite necessary addition to your collection. If you're just discovering Sweet for the first time, you're better off starting off with one of his peak era recordings.

A rock solid return to form for Mr. Sweet. I've been a big fan from the beginning. I will admit to being a little disapointed with the last two disc. Sunshine Lies grabbed me instantly with great lyrics, melodies, and numerous heavy guitar riffs. Matthew is in great voice throughout. Sweet's high vocal range is countered again by the tangled, jagged soloing of Richard Loyd and Ivan Julian. I caught the band live 2 weeks ago. Excellent show. The new stuff played well along side the classics. (Ric Menck is the coolist drummer.)

Fall Out Boy? All American Rejects? Etc.. Please. Matthew Sweet is back. Buy this record.

He did it again!In the great songwriting vein of The Byrds,Beatles,Big Star...i.e. songs with singalong choruses,harmonies,melodies,chunky guitar solos,all wrapped up in a shimmering and vibrant and punchy style,man it just rocks and flows and my 19 month old daughter Daisy just LURVES ''Lets Love''!!!!!Terrific!!

i'm a fan who understands the importance of trying to pave new ground and not do the same old tired routine. matt, for the most part, decided to blaze his own trail in the early part of the decade with releases like in reverse and living things ( the latter being my least favorite ). now i'm not quite sure if mr. sweet decided to go back to what works or if this was just the next logical step but i can say in all earnestness, i am pleased with the results. i'm not saying this is a perfect album. he still has a way to go before he shakes off the cob webs left sticking to living things, but this is a positive start back in the right direction. as for the production value.. it did leave a bit to be desired, but it wasn't in any way a disaster like his last produced solo effort.
to matt,
i don't know if you scour the net looking for your reviews but if you ever do read this i just want you to know, you're never going to please everybody out there. most fans want girlfriend repackaged over and over again with different titles. i say keep growing. i'd rather hate something you tried that was a little different, than the same tired old act you did in the nineties. if the fans want girlfriend they know where to find it. meanwhile, keep writing those "should be" hits. i know i'll keep buying them. :)

This is a superb, but not perfect CD. In the canon of Matthew Sweet - this CD perhaps ranks alongside the solid "Kimi Ga Suki", with the distinction that it rocks a bit more. Kimi is more consistent w/ no duds; Sunshine has a couple of duds (the first two songs oddly enough), but sticks in the mind a bit more. Matthew produced his trilogy of masterpieces (Girlfriend, Altered Beast, 100% fun) after getting divorced, jamming and touring w/ the influential Lloyd Cole (checkout his perfect comeback "The Negatives"), and going "electric" with legends (the late) Robert Quine and Richard Lloyd. I was then shocked by "Blue Sky on Mars" and "In Reverse"; decent albums but not up to the Sweet standard and not really memorable enough tune-wise. Some might say that they were experimental, but so were Beast and 100% Fun; the latter just having better guitars, tunes and songwriting. Then gratefully Kimi marked a grand comeback. "Living Things" is the only Sweet CD I disavow to own.

The gold medal on Sunshine goes to "Let's Love" - great fuzzy guitar, melody and simple lyric twist. The silver goes to "Feal Fear"; haunting and, get this, piano driven. Brydgirl comes in for the bronze, and I hear released as the single (smart). "Burn Through Love" gets honorable mention, and one hopes Matthew explained the double entendre or historical context to wife Lisa. The other five songs on the second half of the disk are also keepers -- they create a great mood. So 1990's Sweet fans -- IMHO, comparing Sweet to Mickey Rourke --- Kimi is Sin City and Sunshine is The Wrestler. Check it out.

Saw Matthew live last night at Webster Hall in NYC. Great concert, great music/sound, great selection of songs. Sweet's voice seemed a little ragged towards the end of this tour... perhaps he should see Bryan Ferry's vocal coach so he can tour into his 60's too ;-). Only disappointment was that he played the old Superdeformed, instead of the new Let's Love, as the closing encore. Why Matthew why?

I am a die hard Matthew Sweet fan, who was really disappointed with the direction Sweet decided to take his career starting with Blue Sky on Mars and on. Since 100% fun, Sweet has alternated between "demo" albums (low production values and few contributing musicians, i.e. Blue Sky and Kimi), and "experimental" albums (lots of guest musicians, odd sounds and lyrical themes, such as In Reverse and Living Things).

This album falls into the "demo" category. If you are a fan of Sweet's pop melodic sensibilities, you'll probably find this album to be a pleasant, if forgettable, listen. The songs are catchy enough, for the most part, but the guitars tend to have a very generic sound, and fade into the background. This album reminds me most of Kimi *insert Japanese here*. That may be a good thing for many Matthew Sweet fans, but for me it's a little too safe and boring.

If you're like me, you've probably been waiting for a return to form for Sweet, where he comes back with another modern classic like 100% Fun, Girlfriend, or Altered Beast. I think it's safe to assume at this point that it isn't happening. Sweet's options are probably pretty limited at this stage in his career.

In my opinion, the best album Sweet has released since 100% Fun is Living Things, which, although undeniably weird, I still find interesting enough to listen to, while I'll probably never feel the urge to listen to any of the other post-100% Fun albums again. I'm afraid that this album is destined for that latter category.

Normally it takes me numerous listens to any new CD I purchase (drives my Wife crazy!) but absolutely cranked this one up and LOVED IT right out of the shoot (not saying I didn't play it continually - still drove my Wife bonkers!)Looking forward to seeing Matthew Sweet in Mpls. in a few weeks, too!

Sunshine Lies could easily fit between Girlfriend and Altered Beast as a secret mail away album. Sweet has been flying under the radar for couple of years by collaborating with others and not strictly releasing his own songwriting. Not much has changed with his sound either; it's like the grunge movement and everything that came after has never happened.

This album is simple guitar pop and bubblegum rock. The musicianship is really quite good, as Sweet has used his long-time sidemen Richard Lloyd (Television), Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids), Greg Leisz (Beck, Bill Frisell), Ric Menck (Velvet Crush), and a guest vocal by Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles). The album does have a few missteps, such as "Let's Love" and the Tom Pettyisms of "Burn Through Love". Just as the Girlfriend album didn't follow any guitar trends, this one follows suit and it makes me happier for that reason.