100% Fun (Bonus Tracks) (Gate) (Ogv) (Exp) [Vinyl]

Personnel: Matthew Sweet (vocals, acoustic, electric & 12-string guitars, piano, electric piano, electric harpsichord, synthesizer, bass, theremin); Brendan O'Brien (acoustic, electric & slide guitars, piano, electric piano, electric harpsichord, Clavinet, Mellotron); Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine (electric guitar); Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar, electric lap steel guitar, mandolin); Stuart Johnson, Ric Menck (drums). Recorded at Southern Tracks Recording Studio, Atlanta, Georgia. 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 town.

• Format: Vinyl
• Label: Intervention
• Genre: Alternative