“What Do You Know” by Matthew Sweet
It’s likely that Sweet’s Girlfriend will be the only record of his that enjoys a lasting reputation, but that’s a shame. Not only does 100% Fun have similarly high peaks, but even Altered Beast, the lackluster follow-up to Girlfriend, had a few really good songs. This is one of them.
“Michael Myers Resplendent” by The Mountain Goats
The closing track on the band’s just-released Heretic Pride. John Darnielle has a thing for titles (“Lovecraft in Brooklyn” and “How to Embrace a Swamp Creature” are other standout songs on this album).
“Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken” by Camera Obscura
There are several bands with female singers currently trying to sound like Phil Spector productions (The Pipettes and Lucky Soul are doing it very well). But among them, Camera Obscura does the best job of borrowing from that sound without being completely defined by it. This song’s terrific title is a result of it being a response to Lloyd Cole’s song “Are You Ready to be Heartbroken?”
“Asking for Flowers” by Kathleen Edwards
The title track off Edwards’ forthcoming CD (early March). I thought her last, Back to Me, was a sophomore slump, but this new one is a return to form, and maybe the most consistent of her three releases.
“I Fall in Love Too Easily” by Bill Evans
Off of Moon Beams, an album I’ve been enjoying the past few days (well, past few nights; this is mellow music), but again, I don’t know if liking this makes me a jazz Neanderthal or not. I could really use some kind of guide charting the phases of man and the appeal of certain jazz musicians.
I'm amazed how many Pajibans are/were huge Matthew Sweet fans. It must be something ingrained into our DNAs or something.
ReplyDeleteAnd man, I totally forgot about 100% Fun! I had that album when it came out, but it must have gotten lost at some point after I went to college. Damn!
Word, JW. No one pleads quite like Matthew Sweet. His live demo thing of "Someone To Pull the Trigger" is epic, much better than the original. It's on Son of an Alterted Beast I think. I'm also a big fan of the Camera Obscura (what a great singer!) though for me they may never top "Eighties Fan."
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