Matthew Sweet - 100% Fun (Gatefold) (LP)

Starring the same cast of characters who helped him sculpt previous works--guitarists Richard Lloyd (Television) and Robert Quine (Richard Hell & The Voidoids) along with Velvet Crush drummer Ric Menck--100% FUN brims with the power-pop hooks that Matthew Sweet has become known for. Helmed by uber-producer Brendan O'Brien, the album retains Sweet's veiled cynicism, whether it's the self-loathing of "Sick Of Myself" or the feeling of abandonment in "Walk Out," a song whose point is point driven by O'Brien's insistent harpsichord playing. Sweet's desperation culminates in the semi-delusional vibe ebbing from "Lost My Mind": while Menck plays a constant militaristic cadence, Quine and Lloyd riff in and out of the song and O'Brien's mellotron pulses and oozes in a vortex that has Sweet's voice ebbing in and out of a fog. While the scenery around this part of Sweet's psyche may seem familiar, the tight production and crack playing groove enough to shed some light on this darker side of