Matthew Sweet is best known for his 1991 album “Girlfriend,” that personifies a moment in nineties power pop. It still holds up in its lyrical candor and equally straightforward instrumentals that could be a textbook example of what you might hear on college radio in the early nineties. “Girlfriend” is an excellent album to revisit in its lack of pretense and general catchiness, plus the guy can really shred.
Sweet’s most recent album, “Modern Art,” maintains the angry sweetness established in “Girlfriend,” but shows more experimenting in layers and volumes, introducing previously unexplored nods toward psychedelia and folk. While this album is slightly more complicated than his previous releases, it’s still an easy listen that grows as it becomes more familiar.
As a live performer, Sweet is highly experienced, promising a well-arranged and solid performance. He could play his big hits with his eyes closed at this point, but has been exploring new territory enough lately to avoid sets from becoming old hat. SPACE feels like a more “adult” venue than the Hideouts and the Empty Bottles of the world, providing reserved seating and a more formal concert experience. Sweet is a professional musician in the most positive sense of the word at this point and has put together the perfect setup to really show off. (Reilly Gill)
August 2 at SPACE in Evanston, 1245 Chicago Avenue, (847)492-8860. 8pm. $25-$65. All ages.
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.
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