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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Sunshine Lies
by Matthew Sweet
The 10th album for the alt-rocker features Susanna Hoffs on backing vocals on one track.
LABEL: |
Shout Factory |
RELEASE DATE: |
26 August 2008 |
DISCS: |
1 disc |
GENRE(S): |
Rock, Alternative |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
70
PopMatters
still knows how to write a great song, and his formula of bringing in strong lead guitarists gives the songs extra punch.
70
Slant Magazine
The album works just as well as a collection of terrific standalone singles, though, since Sweet keeps the focus of Sunshine Lies on some of the most compelling pop hooks he's written in years.
70
Spin
Yoking fuzz-stoked guitars (credit Television vet Richard Lloyd) to gorgeous melodies derived from the Beatles and Big Star, Sweet serves up his best tunes since "Altered Beast."
70
All Music Guide
The crisp, unadorned production--courtesy of Matthew himself, who recorded and mixed this in his home studio--keeps the focus on his brilliant pop hooks, which shine brighter and cleaner here than they have in quite some time.
70
Hartford Courant
Some may be turned off by his showy leads and somewhat cheesy sentiments, but those are the very things that hooked longtime fans in the first place.
67
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Consistent, it isn't, but Sunshine Lies has moments that make 2008 sound like 1995 trying to revive 1965 all over again.
60
Dusted Magazine
It’s frustrating to see someone taking the middle of the road, especially Sweet, who can do better, and has done better, but there’s no sense in questioning it.
58
Entertainment Weekly
Frankly, we'd rather he went back to the past--specifically 1991, when the psychedelically inclined Nebraskan released his classic "Girlfriend." [5 Sep 2008, p.76]
55
Pitchfork
As much work as Sweet clearly put into this disc, hearing him glide instead of soar makes it all sound too easy, which sadly makes it that much easier to forget.
The average user rating for this album is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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