MATT SHARP Puckett’s Versus The Country Boy EP (In Music We Trust) Rating: NNNN Rating: NNNN
You can’t help doing a double take after listening to Matt Sharp’s bare-bones solo debut. It’s a total 180 from the Weezer bassist’s typical work, which is some of the goofiest alt-pop of our generation – remember Buddy Holly? Puckett’s Versus The Country Boy is four perfectly honed tracks of sombre Americana-ish alt-country, with vocals that sound like more of a sigh than a yelp, strummed acoustic guitars, lap steel, gentle piano and a half-drunk sense of resignation. It can be a downer, but in a good way – the stuff you need to hear on a jukebox when crying in your beer with your best buds by your side. Matt Sharp takes things down a notch when opening for Tegan and Sara at Lee’s Palace tonight (Thursday, October 30).
