Aug 4, 2025
Three O'Clock drum kit, photo by Ric Menck of The Springfields/Choo Choo Train/Velvet Crush fame.
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Three O'Clock drum kit, photo by Ric Menck of The Springfields/Choo Choo Train/Velvet Crush fame.
The Reverbs - Trusted Woods (1984)
In 1984, lots of bands were trying to sound like REM. One of them was the Reverbs, a Chicago based janglepop duo. It’s not earthshaking but still likeable. This song was recently released on the collection Strum & Thrum: The American Jangle Underground 1983 - 1987.
Indie Pop/Power Pop legend Ric Menck holding Big Star's debut somewhere in Illinois (1985).
ric menck -- sunflower
Album Review: Matthew Sweet “Catspaw”
One of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time is easily Matthew Sweet IMHO. I got into him with his 1991 masterpiece Girlfriend and I’ve been a fan ever since. One of the coolest things I’ve had the chance since I began this blog is cover his music: I reviewed his 2017 album Tomorrow Forever (which I recently named my #33 Album of the 2010s), his 2018 follow up Tomorrow’s Daughter, as well as his 2018 Boston concert. In my review of Tomorrow Forever, I said it was his best album since the 90s. Tomorrow’s Daughter was more or less leftovers from those sessions. Now Sweet is back with a new album Catspaw, which drops today from Omnivore Recordings.
album cover
This is his first entire solo album, recorded entirely by himself except for drummer Ric Menck. Sweet did all the vocals, guitar, bass, production, and mixing at his Omaha, NE home studio in 2019. It was recorded before the pandemic, but it kind of feels right at home during this lonely isolated time. This past year there have been several artists making their own albums in their home studio (Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, etc), but this was recorded in 2019. I’m going to put throw my chips down on the table and say it: This is the first great album of 2021!
Sweet in 2021
The album kicks off with a rocker “Blown Away” (a heavy Neil Young influence coming through), then it doesn’t let up as it goes into “Give a Little” and it sustains throughout the entire album. Sweet has always had a firm hand on melodic jangle pop in the vein of R.E.M. and Teenage Fanclub, while turning his self-reflective lyrics into sonic rockers followed by folk harmonies on his albums. This is no exception! It needs to be said, I’m not just any old music critic reviewing this album, I am a huge fan of Matthew Sweet. Girlfriend is one of my all time favorite albums and he’s made countless other albums that I’ve listened to hundreds of times (100% Fun and Altered Beast to name a few). Where this fits in the Sweet catalog remains to be seen, but what is noteworthy is the mid-career creative resurgence Sweet is experiencing right now. Amen!
For info on Matthew Sweet: https://www.matthewsweet.com/
4 out of 5 stars
The Springfields: Singles 1986-1991 (Slumberland Records)
The Springfields, I tells ya, they coulda been bigger than The Byrds…
Illinois-based The Springfields came and went without much notice, save for the devoted indie-pop fans who loved Sixties-inspired music and tiny labels like Sarah Records and Subway Organization. Led by Ric Menck and Paul Chastain, the duo would go on to later acclaim as the venerated Velvet Crush. Singles 1986-1991captures…
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"Stupid Cupids - Comin On Too Strong" by BURGER RECORDS
