lambchops's Full Review: In Reverse by Matthew Sweet
Despite suffering periodic critical blows, Matthew Sweet continues to make music. Not since the mid-1990’s has he appealed to mainstream America but charm and charisma still ooze from out his albums and songs. This isn’t to say that they are perfect (far from it in some cases) but I’ve generally been impressed with Sweet’s work.
Of the five albums I own (he’s released a total of eight including the first two solo outings which were heavily steeped in the eighties sound and the most recent—exclusively a Japanese import) I’ve there are a few that are great, a few that are okay, and a few that are too over-thought. In Reverse (1999) is actually all of those things at different times. It is a conscious effort to divest the guitar pop style that made him famous. To be quite honest the Nebraska-native’s calculated move does not sit well with me from the get go.
But as with all other things Matthew Sweet, I find that there are moments and songs and nuances that do indeed appeal to me. In the case of In Reverse the appeal is nested beneath the album’s concept. Pulling from clearly outlined influences the Beatles, Beach Boys, and every other vaguely adventurous pop outfit, Sweet conspired to craft a genre-bending tour de force.
Without giving too much away I will say that In Reverse fails to deliver on Sweet’s promise. The songs should build on one another and the whole of the album should equate to more than the sum of the parts. This is, of course, not the case here. The songs don’t fit together as I’d hoped. There are no songs that are particularly wonderful here, but there are some that just throw the whole production off-kilter making me question whether Sweet has run out of steam.
Not even the opening song, Millennium Blues, sparks my interest. It’s never a good sign if an album distinctly lacking in single material doesn’t draw the listener in right away. But as a person wishing and hoping and almost expecting Sweet could deliver, I continue on. If Time Permits is indeed a better song. It’s light and airy and peppered with a Beach Boys style—tambourine of course included.
As In Reverse plods along, I find myself increasingly disenchanted by the whole affair. Where is the Matthew Sweet that gave the world Girlfriend, Sick of Myself or even my favorite Where You Get Love? He’s clearly not present. Beware My Love is a boring, whinnying sing-song travesty while Faith in You mercifully picks up the pace. Though even at the same time Sweet changes things up on the surface, the melodic patterns and instrumentation continue to be largely the same. There is no variance to speak of here—something that seriously hurts the album as the whole considering the starting point is so artificial.
Hide is one of the few deviations from the musical pattern. Not that it’s a good thing—see, the song feels more like Muzak than anything else. Of course, Sweet sings but his voice is without note or particular necessity. Even his usually catchy lyrics lack the witty nature I’m accustomed to. Like Split Personality--that’s a song with a bad mid-tempo melody not to mention hackneyed lyrics. What Matters, Write Your Own Song, and incredulously long album ender Thunderstorm set my seething ire into stone.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I know I seem harsh but the fact is that Sweet set the bar exceedingly high when he released 1991’s Girlfriend. He’s yet to equal the raw exuberance of that effort even with 1995’s 100% Fun. I certainly expected a heck of a lot better material than what I found on In Reverse. As the album nears a welcome end, I do admit to enjoying the bluesy Trade Places. The simplicity is refreshing to say the least. Untitled is also rather simple and in much the same vein as the previously mentioned track. A hint of country dresses the track up and makes it stand out from the grossly overdone rest of the album.
I really, really, really hoped I would love In Reverse. I hoped that the album would reaffirm my adoration for the unique singer-songwriter. Instead, it confuses me more than ever as it not just lacks catchy melody but also seems to be badly planned and executed. Considering Sweet has just released his first album stateside since 1999 (the year of In Reverse), I’m betting he too a bit of time to regroup. Or at least I hope he did.
Rating: 1.5/5 stars (rounded up)
Track Listing:
01. Millennium Blues
02. If Time Permits
03. Beware My Love
04. Faith in You
05. Hide
06. Future Shock
07. Split Personality
08. I Should Never Have Let You Know
09. Trade Places
10. What Matters
11. Write Your Own Song
12. Worse to Live
13. Untitled
14. Thunderstorm
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