Hey, remember this guy? Matthew Sweet, the Athens, Georgia power-pop guru of the early 1990s who became a surprising mainstream success fifteen years ago, has spent the last decade or so collaborating with respected artists (The Jayhawks), questionable figures from the past (Bangles guitarist Susanna Hoffs) and head-scratching high-school blunders (Hanson). But now he’s back, and his new effort “Sunshine Lies” infuses late-sixties psych-rock with veteran Richard Lloyd’s blistering guitar work, which doesn’t seem to have changed since 1993. “Lies” establishes one tidbit of note: Matthew Sweet sounds uncannily similar to Tom Petty (freakishly so—one wonders if he’s been smoking uncontrollably for twenty-five years just to achieve the effect). Ultimately, “Lies” succeeds by blending the expert craftsmanship one expects from the twenty-year alt-rock mainstay with a surprising bout of moxie for a guy much closer to 45 than 25. (Andy Seifert)
October 23 at Park West, 322 W. Armitage, (773)929-5959. 7:30pm.
Whisperin' for Some Reason: A Preview of Ian Sweet at Empty Bottle Angeleno Jilian Medford produces a lo-fi indie-rock sound that could acutely score a mid-2000s Michael Cera film but still feels postmodern. Melancholic but defiant, her lyricism coupled with simple and elegant guitar progressions provides for the addicting kind of pop to sway awkwardly to.
For “Want” of a Change: A Preview of Rufus Wainwright at Ravinia Park Rufus Wainwright isn’t the first singer-songwriter to reinterpret earlier work through an orchestral lens. And much of Wainwright’s third and fourth albums, “Want One” and “Want Two”—whose twentieth anniversaries are the prompt for this new tour—is fully scored. But when Wainwright hits the Pavilion stage at Ravinia tonight, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be behind him.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
