Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

7.5 - USA - 1991

Fairly solid collection on power pop songs by Lincoln, Nebraska's favourite son. Released just at the time that grunge was breaking through to the mainstream, this album at once looks back to the jangle pop of the 1980s -- perhaps best exemplified by Sweet's fellow Athenians, REM (fun fact:  Sweet and Michael Stipe were once in a band together) -- as well as anticipating the throwback classicism of nineties indie-pop. The album itself is a bit top heavy as the first third or so is just one well-constructed pop gem after another. Towards the midway point, however, fatigue begins to set in as the record begins to drag a little with a few too many mid tempo numbers in the back half. Sweet's a good songwriter and certainly knows his way around a hook, but his voice is a little weak. Sure, he can master the harmonies nicely, but his tone's just a little thin and reedy. Pseudo-closer "Your Sweet Voice" points to a way out of this weakness with some lovely layered harmonies. Most fortunately, however, Sweet brings in a couple of ringers on lead guitar, Richard Lloyd and Robert Quine, whose delightfully messy soloing gives Sweet his trademark sound (for the next two albums at least). The album might perhaps be a bit too long, but the last three tracks are separated by a gap representing a side change, which makes them, conceptually at least, appear as a bonus EP. Finally, though the album is generally "pretty good", the title track is heads and shoulders a stand-out and earns extra credit for featuring clips of Space Adventure Cobra in the video.