Altered Beast

Matthew Sweet wears his influences (R.E.M., the Beatles, and Neil Young, in that order) on his sleeve, and his songs are like cool shirts — wear ’em, get a few compliments, put ’em back in the closet. Although Altered Beast‘s countryish ”Someone to Pull the Trigger” is a devastating poor-mouth ballad, the star of this crafty album is Television guitarist Richard Lloyd, who squeals and screeches while Sweet plays the put-upon cad. A-