Blue Sky on Mars [Limited Edition]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Matthew Sweet's melodic hooks fit so perfectly inside his rhythm grooves that together they acquire an irresistible logic. Sweet's Beatlesque confections avoid sentimentality thanks to the streetwise toughness he gleaned from his connections to such New York punk bands as Television and the Voidoids. If Sweet's melodies evoke an optimistic yearning for love, the words suggest that such connections are hard to come by. Sweet's debt to the Beach Boys is superficially obvious on the hot-rod tempo of "Come to California" and the amusement-park flavor of "Make Believe." Sweet really captures the essence of Brian Wilson's art, though, on songs such as "Behind the Smile," where he admits, "I haven't been a good friend for a long, long time; you know I wasn't happy behind the smile." Countering this confession are swelling, soaring harmonies that suggest that friendship and happiness are still the goals. --Geoffrey Himes --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Blue Sky on Mars
Average customer rating:

Shocked at the positive reviews this album has received

A Masterpiece of power pop

A Grower on Mars..

Am I the only one?

Good Album

Blue Sky on Mars
Matthew Sweet
Manufacturer: Volcano
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Power Pop | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

In Reverse

Altered Beast

100% Fun

Girlfriend

Living Things

ASIN: B0000009B3
Release Date: 1997-03-25

Tracks:

Come To California
Back To You
Where You Get Love
Hollow
Behind The Smile
Until You Break
Over It
Heaven And Earth
All Over My Head
Into Your Drug
Make Believe
Missing Time

Amazon.com

Matthew Sweet's melodic hooks fit so perfectly inside his rhythm grooves that together they acquire an irresistible logic. Sweet's Beatlesque confections avoid sentimentality thanks to the streetwise toughness he gleaned from his connections to such New York punk bands as Television and the Voidoids. If Sweet's melodies evoke an optimistic yearning for love, the words suggest that such connections are hard to come by. Sweet's debt to the Beach Boys is superficially obvious on the hot-rod tempo of "Come to California" and the amusement-park flavor of "Make Believe." Sweet really captures the essence of Brian Wilson's art, though, on songs such as "Behind the Smile," where he admits, "I haven't been a good friend for a long, long time; you know I wasn't happy behind the smile." Countering this confession are swelling, soaring harmonies that suggest that friendship and happiness are still the goals. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

Shocked at the positive reviews this album has received.......2004-06-03

This is the most disappointing album I have ever purchased. Not just because it is bad (it is), but because it came at a time when Matthew Sweet was coming off an album with 2 great singles and he was finally getting played on MTV and the radio. I felt sure that if he followed up 100% Fun with another album of equal quality to his previous three, he would surely reach a new level of success. Alas, instead Matthew Sweet went off the deep end, and turned to gimmicks instead of quality songwriting and production values.

So, why is this album so bad? First, because it is too short. The songs feel undeveloped, and there are too few of them. Second, because of the production. It just doesn't sound good. It sounds very...cheesy. The guitars sound weak, and there are too many synthetic sounds. Sweet wanted this album to sound like the demo tapes he made in his own home, because his family and friends would tell him they liked the sound of the demo tapes more than his studio albums. I guess this just goes to show you that sometimes people are sometimes blinded by their close proximity. Thirdly, the songwriting just isn't what it used to be. Many of the songs are awkward and irritating.

On top of the general lack of quality of the music, the cd I purchased (when it first came out) had a glitch with the way the tracks were edited, so that each song would begin at the end of the previous track.

I was, and still am, a huge Matthew Sweet fan, but even I have to admit that BSoM was the beginning of the downhill trend in Sweet's career. There are a few good songs on it (literally two or three), but it really was a big gigantic missed opportunity for Matthew Sweet.

A Masterpiece of power pop.......2003-11-10