Sunshine Lies

Matthew Sweet

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 26, 2008)
• Original Release Date: August 26, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Shout Factory
• ASIN: B001CF06WE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,567 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

SPIN, August 2008
"3.5 stars. His gift for melody is straightfrom a higher power." -- SPIN

Product Description
In 1991 Matthew Sweet released Girlfriend, an alternative rock milestone, and quickly followed it up with two back-to back classics, Altered Beast and 100% Fun, that cemented his reputation as an elder statesman of indie-rock. Now, nine years after his last major solo release and on the heels of side projects with The Thorns and The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs, comes his long-awaited new album, Sunshine Lies, which hearkens back to the glories of his revered '90s albums. Features 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).

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Matthew is back!, October 3, 2008

By	T. Smith (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a fan since earth, September 16, 2008

By	M. harris - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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. :)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars for a great Matthew Sweet disc, October 14, 2008

By	Jeffrey A. Obrien "jobrien99" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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?