His commercial stock has plummeted since his Nineties heyday, when he scored two gold records and a Top 10 smash with the power-pop nugget "Girlfriend." But judging by his first album of new material in four years, Matthew Sweet's lack of hits hasn't led him to dramatically alter his sound. Though it's more uneven than Sweet's best albums, Sunshine Lies is long on the sunny, pop-classicist melodies, straightforward grooves and layered harmonies of his earlier work. "Feel Fear" is a standout — an achingly pretty letter of encouragement to a friend. But overall, Sunshine feels almost too polite. Some of Sweet's regular guitar-whiz collaborators — including Richard Lloyd (Television), Greg Leisz (Wilco, Whiskeytown) and Ivan Julian (the Voidoids) — return without delivering much noise or crunch, and grooves are often wet noodles. But what he's selling here is the craft: well-constructed, harmony-drenched pleasantry that Sweet can tour on. It won't get him back on the charts, but it's proof he hasn't quite lost his touch.