SOUNDTRACK: MATTHEW SWEET-Inside (1986) & Earth (1989).
I think of Matthew Sweet as one of the quintessentially 90s musicians. He had a few pretty big hits during the 90s, and seemed to be on every compilation that came out. So, imagine what the quintessentially 90s guy sounds like in the 80s.
Inside is so so keyboard heavy, it could be ANY synth band from the 80s. And, the keyboards are so loud in the mix that Sweet’s voice, which is not very powerful to begin with is almost totally lost. Sweet’s voice is not even that powerful on his 90s records. He has a very delightful, but very soft, voice. So, you can barely tell much about the songs, because it seems that every one has synth horns or whatnot masking what’s really happening.
Earth falls in line of what you think the Matthew Sweet sound is. It’s still pretty heavy on the synth, but you can see the song structures that Sweet perfected in the 90s. There’s nothing really striking on Earth, but it’s a good bridge to his 90s albums.
On both of these records it’s interesting to see who he gets to guest on them. Aimee Mann sings along with him on Inside. And Lloyd Cole joins Sweet on Earth. Sweet used to play with Lloyd Cole before going solo, so that makes sense. He was just so unknown at the time, its amazing he was able to get any collaborators.
My recent re-interest in Matthew Sweet was sparked because he has a contribution to the kids CD For the Kids, Too! and it is one of my favorite of our son’s nightly lullabies. Sweet’s rendition of The Beatles’ “Goodnight” is really great.
[READ: Fall 2006] Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony
I love the Artemis Fowl series. The basic premise is that Artemis Fowl, a young boy (thirteen or so at the start of the series), is a supergenius. He uses his powers to break into the world of Fairy. Where he wreaks havoc with their way of life.
Backstory: Fairies are magical beings forced underground by power-hungry humans. Through a series of events laid out in the first book, Artemis is called by the fairies to assist them in their various exploits. As with all supernatural stories, the fairies must keep their existence a secret from humans. So, they have wonderful supernatural gadgets to prevent humans from discovering them. All of these come into play as Artemis either tries to steal them for their superior technology, or ends up using them in his quest for good.
Backstory Part II: Artemis’ father was kidnapped before the first book, and Artemis is often on a quest to find him. Oftentimes, fairy technology comes into play for his valiant efforts.
Each story is well written, wonderfully paced, and full of mysterious secrets. They’re all fun, and you can polish them off in a couple of hours. The best part is that they don’t talk down to the reader even if they are geared for a younger audience.
In this story there are time tunnels, impish demons, and a young genius who is bent on outsmarting Artemis himself. The overall plot is somewhat irrelevant, as, much like, say the James Bond series, it’s all about the action and the dialog. If you are looking for a breezy series that has action and excitement, and is ultimately not too violent, or scary or too full of adult themes, you’ll be hard pressed to do better than this. Start from the beginning of the series and work your way through; careful readers are rewarded.
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