2000 Great Songs #1306: The Ocean In-Between

After a lackluster start, Matthew Sweet rallied to release a remarkable three-LP run of power pop classics (1991's Girlfriend, 1993's Altered Beast, and 1995's 100% Fun)--maybe four, as 1997's Blue Sky On Mars was still pretty great. Since then, his albums have been perfectly fine, never bad, just not as essential--more like opportunities to pick out a few songs for a mix.

One of the odder entries in his post-90s catalog was 2003's Kimi Ga Suki, which he opted to release exclusively in Japan. It seemed like a weird decision to make the record so hard to find, as it was actually pretty damn great, with some perfectly solid songwriting and performances. (It's since become a little more widely available.) In fact, I'd argue that the record's "The Ocean In-Between" is at least as good as, if not better than, a lot of his better-known 90s tracks. It's everything you might demand in your power pop music--big, chiming guitars, catchy melodies, just shy of 3 minutes with not a wasted measure, and a soaring harmony-filled chorus that will stick in your head for... well, at this point, 33 years! (Good lord, was I that young when this came out? Well, now I'm depressed... which, fortunately, this song is perfect for curing.)

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