RichmondVA
29 May 2003, 10:29 PM
If there's a criticism to be leveled at any one of the individual artists forming the supergroup The Thorns, it's that their music is well-crafted but not distinctive. Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge, and Shawn Mullins are all pop songsmiths who do not stray far from conventional song structures.
So it shouldn't be too surprising that this record contains no ass-shakin' beats, experimental noise, long guitar solos, weird instrumentation or anything similarly over-the-top. In fact it sounds pretty much like a Matthew Sweet record. For casual Matthew Sweet fans, the absence of the bluesy electrical guitar hooks of Girlfriend or Sick of Myself might be jarring. But anyone who owns a Matthew Sweet record knows he's never been a stranger to low-key pretty melodies with an acoustic sound: I've Been Waiting, Looking at the Sun, Nothing Lasts, Not When I Need It, etc.
The Matthew Sweet sound is easiest to pick out. His voice is the one that is most distinctive and none of the songs would be at all out-of-place on a Matthew Sweet album. But it's also not too hard to hear Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge's influence. You can hear their voices in the harmonies of course, but also in the way that the songs are so finely put together. I wouldn't say that Matthew Sweet dominates the cd by any stretch, but strict Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins fans might be a bit disappointed.
Think Tom Petty, The Byrds (and any time you think Tom Petty you have to think The Byrds), Crosby-Stills and Nash (ditto). A bit of Bruce Springsteen's mellow stuff (Roy Bittain plays the keyboards on the cd). There's a Travelling Wilburys feel to it, although I don't find this nearly as disappointing as the Travelling Wilburys which to me had a bit of an overly-produced, slick sound. Maybe Travelling Wilburys if you tossed out Jeff Lynne.
The cd starts off with the poppy "Runaway Feeling" and "I Can't Remember." The third song is a straightforward cover of The Jayhawks "Blue," that is a little disappointing. Not that it doesn't sound great, because it does. But "Blue" is such a great song that you would expect three musicians of this caliber to execute it well. One could argue that you shouldn't mess with a classic, and I suppose it keeps with the mindset of the cd, but with three great songwriters I'm more interested in seeing what they come up with on their own.
After Blue, the cd kicks into CSNY mode for "Think It Over." As someone who can't stand CSNY, this songs brings back bad memories of "Marakesh Express," but I think that's just me. "Thorns" has a little distortion rock swagger. Rolling Stone called it T Rex-like, but it's not really that glam. It sounds more like one of Matthew Sweet's pseudo-Beach Boys psychedelia songs-- "Lost My Mind" or "Come to California" maybe.
The rest of the cd follows the good ol' Americana/songwriter/pop-country mode. Pretty melodies and harmonies that sound effortless. It takes a lot of skill and work to sound that breezy, and those who enjoy picking songs apart to find the clever bits that make them tick will have a lot of fun here. If you listen closely there's definitely a bite to the lyrics, but not so much that it overwhelms the song. Again, typical of the work from any of the three players.
Every song on the cd feels instantly familiar, possibly too familiar for some. It's like your favorite well-worn, unglamorous but insanely comfortable sweatshirt. A very well-crafted, reassuring, easy-on-the-ears, relaxing cd, but you certainly aren't going to impress anyone with it.
Me? I'm a pretty mellow guy in my old age and I'm not much interested in going out anymore. I give it 4 stars out of 5.
So it shouldn't be too surprising that this record contains no ass-shakin' beats, experimental noise, long guitar solos, weird instrumentation or anything similarly over-the-top. In fact it sounds pretty much like a Matthew Sweet record. For casual Matthew Sweet fans, the absence of the bluesy electrical guitar hooks of Girlfriend or Sick of Myself might be jarring. But anyone who owns a Matthew Sweet record knows he's never been a stranger to low-key pretty melodies with an acoustic sound: I've Been Waiting, Looking at the Sun, Nothing Lasts, Not When I Need It, etc.
The Matthew Sweet sound is easiest to pick out. His voice is the one that is most distinctive and none of the songs would be at all out-of-place on a Matthew Sweet album. But it's also not too hard to hear Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge's influence. You can hear their voices in the harmonies of course, but also in the way that the songs are so finely put together. I wouldn't say that Matthew Sweet dominates the cd by any stretch, but strict Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins fans might be a bit disappointed.
Think Tom Petty, The Byrds (and any time you think Tom Petty you have to think The Byrds), Crosby-Stills and Nash (ditto). A bit of Bruce Springsteen's mellow stuff (Roy Bittain plays the keyboards on the cd). There's a Travelling Wilburys feel to it, although I don't find this nearly as disappointing as the Travelling Wilburys which to me had a bit of an overly-produced, slick sound. Maybe Travelling Wilburys if you tossed out Jeff Lynne.
The cd starts off with the poppy "Runaway Feeling" and "I Can't Remember." The third song is a straightforward cover of The Jayhawks "Blue," that is a little disappointing. Not that it doesn't sound great, because it does. But "Blue" is such a great song that you would expect three musicians of this caliber to execute it well. One could argue that you shouldn't mess with a classic, and I suppose it keeps with the mindset of the cd, but with three great songwriters I'm more interested in seeing what they come up with on their own.
After Blue, the cd kicks into CSNY mode for "Think It Over." As someone who can't stand CSNY, this songs brings back bad memories of "Marakesh Express," but I think that's just me. "Thorns" has a little distortion rock swagger. Rolling Stone called it T Rex-like, but it's not really that glam. It sounds more like one of Matthew Sweet's pseudo-Beach Boys psychedelia songs-- "Lost My Mind" or "Come to California" maybe.
The rest of the cd follows the good ol' Americana/songwriter/pop-country mode. Pretty melodies and harmonies that sound effortless. It takes a lot of skill and work to sound that breezy, and those who enjoy picking songs apart to find the clever bits that make them tick will have a lot of fun here. If you listen closely there's definitely a bite to the lyrics, but not so much that it overwhelms the song. Again, typical of the work from any of the three players.
Every song on the cd feels instantly familiar, possibly too familiar for some. It's like your favorite well-worn, unglamorous but insanely comfortable sweatshirt. A very well-crafted, reassuring, easy-on-the-ears, relaxing cd, but you certainly aren't going to impress anyone with it.
Me? I'm a pretty mellow guy in my old age and I'm not much interested in going out anymore. I give it 4 stars out of 5.