Throughout a career that stretches back to the mid-'80s, Matthew Sweet has never followed trends, though his landmark 1991 album GIRLFRIEND was responsible for starting one; in fact, many critics note that most power pop records made during the '90s owe a tremendous debt to Sweet. Two decades after the release of that iconic album, Sweet has once again swung for the fences and connected with the boldly experimental, yet deeply personal MODERN ART. Defiantly unorthodox, but often playfully so, MODERN ART features 12 new compositions of Sweet's trademark wistful, yearning pop that recall some of Sweet's touchstones: The Beatles, Beach Boys and Big Star.