 Everclear As much as I want to root for Everclear, I don't find much evidence to proclaim them anything but a great singles act, in the same way that N-Sync is. It's no coincidence that you'll hear Everclear more on Top 40 radio than on alt-rock radio at this point. And that's fine. Sellouts? Who knows. Art Alexakis writes damn catchy (if formulaic) pop songs, and his lyrics are possibly more honest now than when he was a so-called punk or whatever. I appreciate his maturity, and I appreciate that he's not afraid to shy away from catchy music. Certainly too many bands create purposefully dissonant or off-putting music in the guise of "integrity," when all it is in fact is a load of horse shit. Art's a survivor, man, and I totally dig that. Even so, you kind of know you're in for trouble with this one just from reading the title. I never condone knee-jerk dismissiveness, but I'd have to say you'd be kinda correct writing this album off as limp even before hearing it. It's not bad, per se, but neither is it really good … Everclear appears to have been defanged following the death knell for "alternative" music (much like Green Day and The Offspring). No sense putting this off any further – let's get into it … "Songs From An American Movie" is the first song – a mandolin tune, hummable and nice. Shortly thereafter is "Here We Go Again," which rubbed me the wrong way instantly for featuring a Public Enemy sample. No kidding. It's like reverse Puffyism or something. Though Alexakis definitely operates with tongue in cheek much of the time, this just kinda sucks. "AM Radio" features Art Alexakis singing about how much better the 70s were, when people carried around boomboxes and listened to (any ideas?) the "AM Radio." It's memorable and good thanks mainly to the "Mr. Big Stuff" sample looped throughout the song. As I said, I dig Alexakis, but even the non-cynical part of me struggles not to laugh when Alexakis advises the youngsters thusly: "Wanna get down in a cool way?/Picture yourself on a beautiful day." That's "cool" in the same way your hopelessly out-of-touch uncle is. The bridge here also incorporates the "All In The Family" theme song, further blurring the line of intent. Art's weird journey continues with a cover of "Brown Eyed Girl," a song that is kind of impossible to kill (true story: I lived near a bar that used to play Van Morrison's version in their beer garden about 5 times a day for a whole summer, and yet I can still listen to it today. Can't say the same for "Friends in Low Places" though). As you might imagine, Everclear doesn't capture the buoyant energy of the original, but it's well done enough for what it is. He makes it a bit personal by book-ending the song with a meta-commentary on how it "makes me think of a girl I used to know." Whatever personal connection he has with the song doesn't entirely translate, but as I said before, you can't really kill "Brown Eyed Girl." After this audacious but rocky start, the rest of the album wafts into decent but not spectacular territory. "Learning How To Smile" has a lovely string section, a welcome presence in an otherwise sorta mundane song. "The Honeymoon Song," a ukelele-based song sung by drummer Greg Eklund, is a cute joke that never really wears too thin. "Wonderful," the single, is a catchy song in Art's peculiar self-help rock genre (see also "Father of Mine"). Sure, it sounds like most of his songs, but regardless, you can't get it out your head. "Annabella's Song," written for Alexakis's daughter, is a nice, sappy cinematic kind of song, and with "Wonderful," forms a nice ending to the album that almost makes me forget the more baffling moments and the Public Enemy sample. Almost. There are way too many spoken word interludes throughout the album (especially in "Unemployed Boyfriend"), reminding us that the CD is supposed to be, er, like, a movie or something. And the classic rock purist in me rankles at "Otis Redding," which just seems like a sacrilegious title for a white band to use. Now, like if The Roots had a song called "Otis Redding" that would be hip. Despite the huge misses in this hit-or-miss album, I still root for Everclear – one glance at the back cover of the CD case, with Alexakis looking like the nerdy wedding band leader (all three band members are wearing powder blue tuxedos), bassist Craig Montoya with a cowboy and his hands down his pants, and Eklund looking like a mutated six-year old, confirms the sincerity and self-depreciation at the heart of the band's music. Volume 2 is the follow up, apparently with more "rawk." Not sure if I'm sold enough to try that one out. Perhaps I'd like it better. Maybe I'm just confused at a band that can seemingly do both Top 40 pop and alt-rock equally well. At any rate I hope they stay the fuck away from the samplers on that one.
Review by POW! |