Blech, I love Matthew Sweet and was looking forward to this, but I've heard it and it sucks. In fact "Flying" and "Room To Rock" especially are both terrible choices for songs to stream. Probably two of the worst songs from the album. Ironically, "Byrdgirl" is one of the best on it. A really disappointing album.

Posted by: karl at 07/23/08 10:55 AM  | Reply
Score = -2

Speaking as a longtime Sweet fan, I hate to say it but these songs are dreadful.

Posted by: Winona at 07/23/08 1:36 PM  | Reply
Score = -2

I also am a long time sweet fan. Having heard an advance copy of the entire album,i can safely say i won't be buying it,it is,quite frankly,pretty tuneless and rather awful.

Matthew has apparently decided to channel Tom Petty in his music these days,which while in theory is no bad thing,ultimately results in a poor mans imitation of a (bad) Petty album.

I'm afraid Mr Sweet has well and truly jumped the shark and no longer possesses the ability to write tuneful,melodic pop songs. Very sad indeed.

Posted by: Rhyno at 08/02/08 9:06 PM  | Reply
Score = -2

Count me as another long-time MS fan, and I think these new songs sound great. Byrdgirl is sweet (sorry for the pun) and Byrdsy (ugh, did it again!), and Flying rushes along nicely: Matthew does garage rock? Fine by me! Room to Rock is perhaps a little one-noted, but it's still a cool rocker. Based on the evidence Sunshine Lies seems to have both gentler indie-pop AND more aggro power-pop. What's not to love?

Posted by: Michael at 08/14/08 6:19 PM  | Reply
Score = 1

I've been excited about this album since Matt's management posted that "Rock Bottom" medley on his myspace page. The full songs don't disappoint. "Flying" and "Byrdgirl" are immediately appealing; the hooky background vocals emphasizing the chord changes in "Flying" are very, very cool.

Having heard a couple of the other new songs streamed elsewhere ("Back of My Mind," "Let's Love") I can tell this album is going to grab me more than Living Things did. This is the album of 2008. Nobody makes power pop like Matthew Sweet (Chastain's & Menck's Velvet Crush did, but they appear to be out of business).

Boo-hiss to the guy above who compares Matt's growly voice to Tom Petty!

Posted by: Robbo the Yobbo at 08/24/08 3:17 PM  | Reply
Score = 0

Disappointing. I've been a sweet fan since day two (altered beast) but his last 3 albums have been underproduced. There's nothing wrong with a little production folks, the songs on this album sound exactly like the demos he's produced (supervixen, superdeformed 1 and 2). And what's up with his voice? I've seen him live 7 times and have met him after his shows, his voice is not that high. I think with a little help from Brendin O Brien some of the songs on this album could have made raidio, for example Let's Love.

Posted by: Cam at 09/01/08 10:22 PM  | Reply
Score = 0