Matthew Sweet “Catspaw”
Matthew Sweet’s “Catspaw” was completed last year, but only released recently and it’s his most somber and stylistically consistent album in many years. The theme of the album was described by Sweet “Don’t ever forget life is totally cruel and the catspaw is already coming down on you.” Sweet spent his time on this one, doing all the instrumentals with drum work by Ric Menck (Velvet Crush).
“Blown Away” boasts those oppressive chords, and bluesy swirling guitar fills that are his unmistakable signature. Sweet has always had the ability to draw you into his pain, and he does it here brilliantly. Next, “Give A Little” has a solid hook that keeps giving and has “a little bit of hope” as it lurches along. Then “Challenge the Gods” shows his defiance. “Punch the world in the face. Use your time to rise above.” as he offers sound advice to the oppressive environment that was 2020. The guitar melodies seem tighter and more focused than his previous outings since he’s handling the lead by himself. Many highlights are here, and overall this stands out as his best album since 2003’s “Kimi Ga Suki.” So technically — this will make my top albums list. A great start to 2021.
Heatwaves “Complete Recordings (2017-2020)”
Jose Dolz (Shock Treatment) and Luis Sanchez (Depressing Claim, Reactivos & K7s) wanted to do covers of those Phil Spector produced girl groups like The Ronettes, The Supremes, and The Shangri-las. They “discovered” vocalist Ana Beltran at a karaoke bar and the rest is history. However, the title is a little misleading, as this is not a defunct band, nor did they stop recording.
Opening with “My Baby Has Gone” it’s got the girl-group style as far as song structure, but the guitar figures more prominent than those buttoned-down original influences. It’s a lot of fun and catchy too. “Lonely Nights” features Beltran’s version of Diana Ross as those strings swell up. Hearing these tunes, they do make an effort to grow beyond the template, but you’ll have a grand time playing “spot the influence.” Overall it’s infectious, including some Christmas and French-language songs. Highly Recommended.
