Search - Matthew Sweet :: In Reverse

Best of his albums to date

Dr. Philgood | USA | 04/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Do not listen to the reviewers who say this album has no memorable hooks or melodies, they clearly must be tone deaf. Where to start? "What Matters" is arguably the best song Sweet has ever written in terms of combining songcraft with powerful lyrics. "If Time Permits" has an incredibly beatiful chorus, and "Beware My Love" is a country-tinged, brooding song that will get your head bobbing. "Future Shock" is another winner, as is the gently affecting "Untitled." Don't get me started on "Hide," which is as gorgeous a piano ballad as you will ever hear. "Worse to Live" suffers from being essentially one long coda - but what a coda it is. Have I run out of positives yet? Nope! "Faith In You" is not quite up to par with the rest but is a good rocking foot-stomper, and "Trade Places" has a great sing-along chorus. Even "Write Your Own Song" is melodic enough to outweigh its petty, vindictive lyrics. Honestly, there is almost nothing here that is not far above average in terms of catchiness. I have all of Sweet's albums, and this is the only one in which the majority of the tracks have landed on my hard drive. The biggest criticism I can come up with is that the songs are quite derivative - Beach Boys, Byrds, and many other obvious influences pop up frequently. If what you're looking for is good pop music you shouldn't care though, right?"

An Unheralded Concept Album? (Plot Theory)

Pen Name Already Taken | 06/01/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Matthew Sweet's In Reverse was his last big release of the 90s. Coming a few years after both his short and average "Blue Sky on Mars" CD, you can't help but wish and wonder if the strongest songs from both CDs had been combined into a single release would have done anything for their popularity, overall.



When I first bought the CD, one thing I noticed was how it didn't feel like there was really a single on the CD, but it almost required listening to from start to finish. The CD starts out with three songs that flow into one another as if they were a single long song, while closing out with a one song that is so long and varied that it might have originally been planned to follow the same plan. All in all though, the CD comes off as a lighter sound than his previous albums, but with a wider range of sound.



After relistening to the CD and revisiting the tracks, I get the feeling that this is actually something along the lines of a concept album or an attempt at an alternative rock opera, like Tommy, Lifehouse, Ziggy Stardust or maybe something along the lines of ELO's _Time_.*



But what could this mystery plot be if it indeed a concept album?



While I have no evidence to back this theory, and no one else has ever seemed voice a similar thought, there is very much the sense that these aren't just songs or songs linked in theme, but part of a plot. If you listen to the entire CD with that kind of mindset, it becomes a lot more interesting. *It's also important to note that since chatter has been that MS was a big ELO fan, it adds some credibility to the theory that he was doing his own version of a time-travelling concept album ala ELO's _Time_.



So, what is that plot? One theory I'm toying with is that it might actually be about a would-be songwriter/time traveler who ends up going back in time and attempting to fix his future and the future of a female singer he knew as a youth. (For lack of better names, I'm just referring to them as the Traveler and the Singer.) Many things about the CD, from the CD art, the cover, and even just the title alone seem to have the theme of not only 'time', but obviously going back in time. If you take the concept in conjunction with the story of the Traveler and the Singer, there is a new meaning to the album as a whole.



Tracks 1-3

"Millennium Blues", "If Time Permits", and "Beware My Love"

These three tracks segue into one another, as I said, almost creating a supersingle. I get a somewhat 'above-average' feeling about these three songs, but for some reason they come off a lot better as a single unit.

(Rock opera theory: A character, the time traveler, at a quarter or midlife crisis is doubting their importance in the world, along with the choices and actions they've made in the past. Somehow their actions have had a bad effect on their lives or the lives of others around them.



"MB" is from the perspective of a secondary character, or just establishing an overriding theme of that the Traveler is out of step with the times.

"ITP" is from the perspective of the Traveler. Perhaps less about wanting to change the past, but wanting to relieve the glory days of his relationship with the Singer, but he doesn't want to have to go through the all the challenges of the past, again, to do so.

"BML" could be from the perspective of either the Singer or the Traveler, or maybe both as it does have the slight feeling that it could be a duet. Either the Traveler is living with the regret of their relationship falling apart, or the Singer is consoling (or criticizing) the Traveler.)



4. "Faith In You"

A sort of return to Sweet's early 90s rocker sound.

(ROT: This might not be told from the current perspective of the Traveler, but his recollections of the attitudes of the Singer. A theory I'm holding onto is that the Singer might have been a character who invested much of their faith and romantic trust in the Traveler as a youth (or vice versa), as told from their youthful perspectives before failure set in. In short, he's remembering the good times.)



5. "Hide"

(ROT: This might be the point in the plot that the Traveler has been completely abandoned in the 'present' by the Singer and makes to move back to the past to save their relationship.)



6."Future Shock"

(ROT: Two theories:

1- The Traveler is in the past as his younger self and is (re)introducing himself to the Singer for the first time.

2- The Traveler, more mature but now living as his younger self, starts to realize how directionless and flawed he was as a youth. So, his clouded memories of youth become clearer and more defined, giving him greater reason to change himself and his decisions to affect the future.



7."Split Personality"

(ROT: The character is now in the past, but they're stuck with the guilt, depression and knowledge of the events from the future. This is leading them to try to act how they used to act in the past, but being burdened with the personality and memories of the future. This might signify a change in Traveler as a youth suddenly changing overnight in the eyes of many people (bullies, rivals, classmates, friends, family), a sudden change from what he was originally as a youth from "Future Shock" and the start of a divergent timeline.)



8." I Should Have Never Have Let You Know"

(ROT: The Traveler discovers their new gift of foresight can be used help people, but they're starting to regret it. An alternate theory is that the Traveler is making a choice to change gears in their relationship with the other character in the past, as to allow the pair of them to have a better future.)



9. "Trade Places"

(ROT: The character is at a crossroads, having determined their time travel has the potential to change the future. They don't want to lose the happiness of themselves or the Singer, so they decide to change things for the 'better.')



10. "What Matters"

(ROT: Ok, this is where it gets weird. The character has effected a change in their world, but things aren't working out for them. In fact, I think this song is from the perspective another another character.)



11. "Write Your Own Song"

(ROT: The Traveler's actions in the past has resulted a horrible breakdown in the continuing relationship with the Singer. At this point, I'm willing to say that the story is the Traveler is using knowledge of future hit music to make the other character into a professional and successful singer. However, the Traveler is getting angry that the Singer has either voiced dislike of the music the Traveler is giving them, the his relationship with the Singer has fallen apart (again), or the Singer has discovered that the songs aren't really the Traveler's.)



12. "Worse to Live"

(ROT: Not my favorite song on the CD, so I find it hard to look for a meaning in the narrative for the story of the Traveler and the Singer. There is the obvious meaning from the lyrics, though. My guess is that this segues into a moment where the Traveler discovers he can affect another change in the time by going back again?)



13. "Untitled"

(ROT: This one is hard to put together with a plot for this. It could be that the Traveler is willing to abandon the use of future hits for the Singer in an attempt to use his own abandoned songs that he gave up on. Or the Traveler is planning not to use the future hits or his old abandoned songs, but repair his formerly bad songs written as a youth with techniques and experiences he gained through his life.)



14. "Thunderstorm"

(ROT: This song plays out in several different parts, all with their own sound, to close out the album.

Part 1: The Traveler is ready to accept the 'horrible' real future at some great expense. He plans to make another jump into the past and correct things, again.

Part 2: The Singer and Traveler concile? Or is something else happening?

Part 3: Tone gets a LOT darker. Could the Traveler be planning on doing something more sinister this time around in order to change the future around, again?

Part 4: Tone gets a lot milder. A theory I'm holding onto is that the Traveler sets about a change in the past that prevents he and the Singer from ever meeting. It hints that by never meeting, they actually have much better lives as a result; she not burdened or feeling held back by him, and him not burdened by the guilt of holding her back.

Part 5: Tone gets different, again. The ending is that the Traveler is alone. In short, he's accomplished what he wanted to do from the start. By never meeting the Singer, he never blames or hates himself for being what he feels to be a negative impact on her life.)



As I said, there is no evidence that this is actually supposed to be the narrative, but if you accept the concept album theory, I think it surprisingly works along the lines of a musical Quantum Leap. However, this isn't to say the Traveler/Singer storyline IS the storyline to the album, but just something I've inferred from listening. Another theory is that the Traveler and Singer might just be the same person, the former having gone back in time to guide the past of his younger self. If so, 'Write Your Own Song' then becomes an angry duet between the younger and older versions of the same character, his younger self angry about his own works being disregarded and the older self having no faith in his younger self's skills.



The problem (and benefit) with any theory trying to piece together a plot is that the listener must ultimately decide if this is the unofficial concept of the concept album, and if that the the theme and narrative they want to accept when listening to it."