Name Matthew Sweet
Best known for Being a “power pop genius.”
Current city Omaha, NE
Really want to be in Norway. I would be in Oslo visiting the Edvard Munch Museum.
Excited about I’m currently writing songs for my next record, Midsommar. My pen-and-ink cat illustrations continue to be a huge creative outlet for me as well. Recently, we put out a cool archival live record: WXRT Live in Grant Park, Chicago IL July 4, 1993 that comes from the Altered Beast era with Richard Lloyd on lead guitar. It feels so long ago to me now, I wanted to call it Live 1893!
My current music collection has a lot of Yes (the band).
And a little bit of ELO—specifically their debut, No Answer. I love the darker, heavier cello sound on this record. “10538 Overture” and “Queen of the Hours” are standouts. I also love that it was mistakenly titled and printed as No Answer due to a misunderstood phone message that was left between the label and the band.
Preferred format Streaming, only because it’s the fastest. I know it’s lame and I’m supposed to say vinyl. Vinyl is great, of course—it has its own sound. I’m not one of those people who says they wish everything sounded like vinyl; that format had its own problems. That said, the vinyl experience as a whole can’t be beat. It was so important to me as a kid. I’d go buy the record, bring it straight home, go to my bedroom, close the door, scrutinize the artwork—it all felt very anti-parent. Now parents and kids are bonding over the same music.
5 Albums I Can’t Live Without:
1
Close to the Edge, Yes
As a young kid just starting out on bass, I was so drawn to Chris Squire. He was a melodic player for one—he really had his own thing going on within the context of the band—I’d sit and learn his parts by ear on my Ibanez copy Rickenbacker 4001. I love the beginning of this record; it has gentleness and a real weirdness. The way it fades in with all the Hammond organ textures and overdubs. It sounds like you’re by a riverbed in Tolkien’s Middle-earth or something. I love the mystery of it and I love the green color scheme on the cover!
2
Abbey Road, The Beatles
I’ve been thinking about Abbey Road a lot lately in the context of Peter Jackson’s Get Back documentary. It’s really interesting that they came together after Let It Be and made a more direct, serious album in the style they’d done before. I like that it’s the last thing they did. There’s just something about it. “The End.” It’s emotional stuff. They’re kind of saying goodbye to each other. It’s touching. And George! His songs are just mind-blowingly good. Standout.
3
Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
Unrivaled. Musically, it’s just so advanced. Coolness as a band? That’s the Beatles. Pure music from a lone guy who’s a genius? That’s Brian [Wilson]. I was aware of the Beach Boys for many years before I really zeroed in on Brian and became obsessed. I remember the Endless Summer compilation in my siblings’ record collections. But the Beach Boys were just kind of surf rock in the back of my mind growing up. It was actually Peter Buck who said, “You’ve gotta hear this album, Pet Sounds!” He gave me a cassette just after I’d moved down to Athens—Side One: Pet Sounds, Side Two: Gram Parson’s two solo records. Holy shit. I went straight out and bought the album. But even then, I didn’t absorb it completely. It seeped in over time. Around 1984, I went up to New York to meet with Columbia Records and sign my first solo record deal. At some point during the meeting, I remember Rick Chertoff (Cyndi Lauper’s producer) saying, “Matthew, we really like the Brian Wilson-like production on your latest demos.” And I replied, “Who’s Brian Wilson?” That’s how clueless I was! I had grown close to the music, but I didn’t know the details yet. I wasn’t an obsessive like I soon became and remain to this day.
4
Tusk, Fleetwood Mac
Tusk is a good-for-the-soul kind of record. I love the mellow stuff. I love everybody’s stuff on it. I love how out there Lindsey gets. He went for it completely. Good for him. It’s what he felt like doing. Those records were so, so big it was like you weren’t allowed to think they were cool anymore after a few years. Later, a good friend of mine got me to listen to Tusk more closely and I found it again in a new way. I love “Beautiful Child.” You can’t tell it’s a breakup song on the surface, but that’s why it has that feeling in it. The kid in her was in love, but she had to stop doing child-like things.
5
Third/Sister Lovers, Big Star
Sure, maybe their first two are more impressive (#1 Record, Radio City), but I like this side of Alex [Chilton] where he was weird, drunk, and sarcastic. He would do anything. Fearless. He liked fucked-up stuff; he liked beautiful stuff. I really wanted to find someone to idolize that wasn’t from England and he was that guy. Here’s the Beatle’s level guy from America.
