Yes, I'm still digging into my forgotten CD collection, sealed & put away in the abyss of my store room but I'm enjoying every moment re-discovering some of the ones I bought during the grunge-infested 1990s. One of the most enjoyable, guitar-laden album is the above Matthew Sweet release, Altered Beast.
Matthew Sweet is one of the best vocalist in my books; someone who doesn't try too hard to impress & working within his own vocal range. I first saw a music video of a song (can't remember which one) from Altered Beast during a late night MTV show & got hooked. The melody is simple yet unforgettable; this is definitely the trait of a good song & Matthew Sweet can definitely write good songs, he's not a one-hit wonder.
However, what impressed me the most were the guitar works of Mr. Sweet's recording guitar player, Richard Lloyd (the other recording guitarist in Altered Beast was Robert Quine) who was from the seminal 70s band Television (the other guitar lad in Television is Tom Verlaine). Lloyd isn't a shredder by any means but his solos contain enough impact for guitar dweebs to sit up & listen. If you are a fan of Dinosaur Jr's J. Mascis, you'd enjoy what Richard Lloyd dished out during his Television days.
