Matthew Sweet - Living Things (2004)

A few months after the completion of Kimi Ga Suki, Matthew Sweet had another burst of inspiration, this time resulting in the brand new labul Living Things. Sweet and drummer Ric Menck laid down the spines of the tracks, with Matthew playing acoustic guitar and singing over Menck's grooves. String wizard and Sweet regular Greg Leisz showed up to provide his arsenal of axes. Joining him was the legendary Van Dyke Parks on keyboards. Tony Marsico and Pete Phillips from the artist's touring band added stand-up bass and acoustic guitar, respectively. Sweet topped it all off with his signature touch, singing and stacking the intricate vocal harmonies and Living Things was alive and kicking.