Velvet Crush - In the Presence of Greatness

Once I got used to what Teenage Symphonies to God actually was - as opposed to what I expected it to be - I picked up In the Presence of Greatness, which is also totally different from what I expected it to be.

While Teenage Symphonies to God was like a really really great Cheap Trick album, In the Presence of Greatness was like a pretty good Teenage Fanclub album. It's more mellow than I expected it to be, but it's still a decent slice of power pop.

Matthew Sweet produced this album, and his touch is readily apparent. I don't know if Velvet Crush worships at the altar of Big Star as much as Matthew Sweet does, but this album seems much more influenced by Big Star than the band's other works. All in all it's a very good album which is somewhat eclipsed by the band's later greatness.