| World Of Noise | 1993 |
| Sparkle And Fade | 1995 |
| So Much For The Afterglow | 1997 |
| Songs From An American Movie, Vol. One - Learning How To Smile | 2000 |
| Songs From An American Movie, Vol. Two - Good Time For A Bad Attitude | 2000 |
Formed by vocalist and main songwriter Art Alexakis, Everclear is probably one of the more successful and respected bands in the alternative/post grunge category, and Alexakis, who was involved in drugs for most of his life, lets his demons out in a creative fashion with his somewhat personal, affecting and well-written lyrics. Their debut, World Of Noise, was essentially an indie recording, while the second Sparkle And Fade (reviewed on this site) was their commercial breakthrough and showcased this fairly well. The band, originally a trio, has since expanded to a four piece after the release of their third album So Much For The Afterglow, which yielded the excellent hit single "Father Of Mine", and afterwards they released two companion Songs From An American Movie albums a few years later.
--Nick Karn
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Everclear's breakthrough album (featuring the smash hit "Santa Monica", which brilliantly weaves lyrical imagery of the ocean in its' great melody and tight riffing) has songs dealing with a variety of tortured subjects, and it's best moments are quite strong, thanks to the great emotional content in the lyrics. "Strawberry" features just Art Alexakis and his guitar, and is a very moving and desperate song about attempting to escape the harsh reality of drug abuse, while "Heroin Girl" is a hard-hitting, short rocker about two separate deaths of those he knew (one of those an old girlfriend) from heroin.
"Heartspark Dollarsign", meanwhile, is a convincing side-closer about racial tension - specifically, a relationship between a white boy and a black girl, and the heartbreaking effect of divorce on him and his daughter in "Pale Green Stars". On the flip side, "Summerland" is a hopeful tune dealing with making the most out of life. A few other tunes here are your typical garage rockers with pleasant, if not that great, melodies, like "You Make Me Feel Like A Whore" and "Nehalem", and major album highlight "The Twistinside" is even dramatic in the lyrical and musical arrangement with a great breakdown section. But overall, a good amount of Sparkle And Fade isn't anything to get too excited about - it's fairly good material, but the weaknesses of the band, especially lack of diversity and melody in the music, make it low on listenability, so it's tough to come back to these songs in the long run, even the highlights.
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