Matthew Sweet: Living Things : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

A Nebraskan by birth and a Californian by choice, Matthew Sweet knows that one of the best ways to create a slice of SoCal pop with a hefty ironic twist is to let eclectic composer/musician and Brian Wilson collaborator, Van Dyke Parks play all over your record. Parks' capricious keyboard playing creates complex arrangements that build upon the simple song structure of early hits like "Girlfriend" and "Sick of Myself." Sweet has forged cynical lyrics into bright melodies before, but on songs like "Push the Feelings Down," his voice soars higher as his themes grow darker ("Fuck the world around/Don't let it confuse you/You're not heaven bound/So God cannot abuse you"). The paradox works with the rest of the band too, as they thunder a little too loudly through softer ballads, such as "You're Not Sorry." But their din is inspired on songs like "Dandelion" -- Tony Marsico's menacing double bass roars beneath chirping birds, Sweet's wildly singing theremin and Parks' purposeful errant piano, end in arpeggios that sound like entry to a dream sequence as they lead into the next song.