For his sixth album, Matthew Sweet jettisons longtime guitarists Robert Quine and Richard Lloyd and goes it largely alone, playing most of the instruments himself, with keyboard help from Pearl Jam producer Brendan O'Brien. But the song remains the same, even if the downtown guitar sound doesn't. Short, sweet and to the point, BLUE SKY contains 12 brilliant nuggets of crunchy power-pop that recall the golden age of Top 40 radio. As much a fan as he is a rock and roller, Sweet trots out his reverence with "Back To You," which features a "Good Vibrations"-type intro and then waves of chiming, Byrdsy guitar. Sweet has a penchant, and a knack, for vintage sounds. Sprinkled throughout the album are swirling synths and delicious Mellotron ("Heaven And Earth," "Behind The Smile"), loads of fuzz guitar ("Over It," "Into Your Drug") and even a Casio drum machine ("Until You Break").