This is one of the best (and most consistent) releases from Matthew Sweet that I have heard in years.

Gone is the soft-rock of the last few discs and this guitar-driven disc is solidly rooted in 60's power-pop and psychedelia. Sweet's songwriting shows a clear vision and there isn't a bad track on the disc. The strong songwriting is complemented by crystal-clear production (which was done by Sweet in his home studio) which highlight the disc's hooks. The power-pop tracks have exquisite (Byrds/Beach Boys style) vocal harmonies and the psychedelic tracks have both "teeth" and snarl. While Sweet mines from a variety of genres, the disc sounds like a consistent body of work and has a warm feel. Sweet describes this disc as "very direct, but seen through the eyes of nature, or rather modeled on its beauty, chaos and freedom, something like a stab at sonic art nouveau."

There are a number of stand-out tracks on this disc which include "Daisychain", which features Hollies-style vocal harmonies, and "Sunshine Lies", which features glorious backing vocals from x-Bangle Susanna Hoffs. Two of the disc's psychedelic rockers, "Flying" and "Room to Rock" are streaming on Sweet's MySpace page.

Matthew Sweet is currently out on tour behind this new release and he is playing Webster Hall next Tuesday, October 28th.

Links:
Matthew Sweet's Website