matt sharp

puckett’s versus the country boy

‘You know him from Weezer and followed him through the Rentals, but all that can be definitively said of Matt Sharp as of late is that his voice has not been clearly heard for the past four years or so.

Well, now Sharp has resurfaced and he’s found himself pretty damned far away from home. The head-bobbing pop tunes and Moog-driven melodies are none more. This is a person reborn as man and guitar – as Bob Dylan.

“Puckett’s Versus the Country Boy” is an EP that shows off Sharp’s versatility by stripping down the songs to their bare essentials. He sings in whispers, leaving the slide guitar to set the tone and elicit the intended emotions.

The scene is set as sad, somber. The further into the album we march, the more instruments are added. It’s an ambience that grows around you, waiting for the big release of crescendo that comes only sublimely. In the end, the album leaves you a little down, a little curious.

On the initial listens, you sidetrack from the lyrics. Tangentially, you become the d/nouement. You play out the tragedy of Sharp’s parting with Weezer and the god-awful music that band has made since then. You consider the Rentals to be the bright, promising firecracker that merely fizzled away, snaking slowly across the ground as an empty black sky waits for it above.

You are happy with these songs but you wonder if there is any resentment left among these former band mates. Where is the glory? The spotlight? The glamour? What has driven him to the path of singer/songwriter?

The crazy antics are gone, as are all things fun and superficial with this new solo project. What is left is a musician baring his soul, begging to be embraced and accepted for what he is.

Of course, we’ll embrace and accept him, but we can’t help but wonder what series of events has led up to this drastic change.