Description
At the time, it didn’t seem especially significant, but in retrospect, Matthew Sweet’s ‘90s run is nothing short of miraculous. In just eight years, Sweet churned out five albums—Girlfriend (1991), Altered Beast (1993), 100% Fun (1995), Blue Sky On Mars (1997), and In Reverse (1999)—of perfect pop songs. Those records established Sweet as a gifted scholar and writer. Beginning with 2008’s Sunshine Lies and continuing with 2011’s Modern Art, Sweet shifted voices slightly. Always a devotee of classic pop, he remained committed to tunefulness, but moved away from the ‘60s-style catchiness and efficiency in favor of ‘70s-inflected wandering melodies. Happily, Tomorrow Forever continues the trajectory; Sweet’s now fully fluent in his newer writing mode. He nods to several different genres, from the wah-wah accented boogie of “Come Correct” to the folksy “Country Girl.” The cheerful glam-inflected stomp of “Pretty Please” ranks with Sweet’s best rockers (“Superbaby,” “Into Your Drug”) without lapsing into the silliness that marred “Room to Rock” and “My Ass Is Grass.” The chiming chords of “Circles” and sturdy hooks of “Finally” resurrect the joyful appeal of Sweet’s golden age. Above all, the tunes feel much more intentional, and therefore, more substantial. “Entangled” reinforces its lyrics’ meditation on lovers meeting endlessly in parallel universes with a catchy, soaring refrain that comes on without warning and disappears just as quickly. The wide-ranging, reverberating chorus of “The Searcher” climbs ambitiously before cascading back down to the verses.
