Number 55

Continuing my countdown of my all time favorite CDs (so I'll always have something to write about) is Number 55:

Matthew Sweet - 100% Fun (1995)

I became a fan of Matthew Sweet after his excellent Girlfriend Cd (1991). I loved the sugary, catchy choruses balanced against the crunching alt rock guitars and downbeat lyrics. By the mid 90's, Rock music was dead-the Grunge boom was drying up and overrun by Country pop and Gangsta Rap. One of the casualties seemed to be Matthew Sweet, his followup to Girlfriend was the murky Altered Beast (1993) that failed to move him ahead commercially or creatively.

But in 1995 Sweet released 100% Fun, an album that featured tight song writing and punchy production thanks to producer Brendan O'Brien. O'Brien's production brought focus to the albums sound, all instruments sound clean and do not waste any notes in performance. To add to this, Sweet delivers a strong set of songs and shows a willingness to be front-and-center in performance.

The lead single, "Sick of Myself" brought back everything that was great about Sweet. The heavy guitar hook, lifting melodic chorus with "sad guy" lyrics and jagged guitar solos called attention on the radio. "We're the Same" was the followup single, an almost happy song that recalled jangly 60's power pop. Elsewhere, other elements of Sweet's sound was shown to good effect. The Brian Wilsonish "Not When I Need It" is a personal favorite of mine. Countryish ballads like "I Almost Forgot" and sci fi epics such as "Smog Moon" are also highlights.

While 100% Fun lacks the overarching lyrical theme or musical freshness of Girlfriend it makes up in song craft and committed performance. The album lives up to it's title and provided a musical oasis of tuneful rock music in 1995.