Matthew Sweet

Matt Sweet is one of them hit/miss kind of guys, not nearly as consistent as his bros in Teenage Fanclub. That said, the underrated Altered Beast slays its predecessor, the highly revered Girlfriend. The latter has the power-pop hooks, but A.B. has them and the country-rock melancholy of Neil Young and Gene Clark. The album's overall vibe is borderline morose, summed up perfectly in the tune "Time Capsule" – "We were young and strong/ Now everything is wrong."

What made Matthew Sweet's last album, Girlfriend (1991), such a treat was that it matched
his introspective songs and weepy voice with bursts of extroverted guitar. A Revolver-era
mix added ferocity to the musical attack while still allowing Sweet to hang his heart out. At
moments a pedal steel would creep in, or Sweet would nail a hook home with a perfect
multitracked harmony. On Altered Beast, guitarists Richard Lloyd and Robert Qui... More >

He's so great with the help he should hire some lyricists ("Dinosaur Act," "Knowing People")