new EVERCLEAR - Slomotion Day Dream
 

The new EVERCLEAR album SLOMOTION DAYDREAM is to be released in March, just thought I'd comment a bit on it.

Any fan of Everclear will not be disappointed. It maintains the standard Everclear sound, but really rocks. I think it's an extremely solid album, probably one of their best, and hopefully it'll have more success than the American Movie albums. I am really looking forward to picking up the new album.

The first single is the standard radio friendly catchy ditty VOLVO DRIVING SOCCER MOMS, and it's decent, but the album has some much better tracks on it. If you are or have been a fan of the band, I suggest you look for it when it comes out!

MATT

Hope its better than that coaster they put out 2 years ago, American Movie. Their first 2 albums are great.

I agree. The American Movie cd's weren't that great. They did have a few good songs on them though. I thought the new album was supposed to be released back in October. I never heard why it was pushed back.

I think it is a LOT better than the american movie records... they certainly were not the cream of the crop ... I think this one is definately a return to form....

MATT

The song is pretty funny I think. To me, all the everclear/alexakis tracks sound the same, but I'll give 'em credit, they know how to write a good hook. I never really got into Everclear, but I respect Art simply cuz he's the biggest Export from Portland I know of hehe. I don't count courtney love cuz she's a hooker.

I heard the new song for the first time last night when I was flipping through the radio stations. Everclear is one of those bands where you hear a second or two of a song & you know instantly that it's them.

I'm a big fan of the band, but I'm not sure if all of those songs sounding like that is a good thing...

I heard several of the songs last fall when they played in Seattle. Definitely more rocking than the American Movie stuff, which I liked but it lacked the punch of their other work. I'm really eager to hear the finished CD.

This album has been on IRC for a couple weeks now. It's okay but nothing special. Run-of-the-mill Everclear. Better than the Songs from an American Movie Volumes, but not nearly as good as Sparkle & Fade / Afterglow.

Hey, I just realized it's only a week until this comes out! :D I'm looking forward to it.

According to someone in the Bargains Forum it will be $8.99 at Target.

I picked this up today. It's not a bad album but not their best. At least it's better than the American Movies.

I'm enjoying this one so far. It's not their best work, but definitely more consistent and stronger songs than the American Movie discs. Here's a few paragraphs excerpted from a review I'm writing of "Slow Motion Daydream" for the paper I work at, if anyone's interested in a longer take on it:

“Slow Motion Daydream” is Everclear’s Portland album. The Portland skyline is prominently featured on the cover, along with many photos inside the CD booklet. One song, the heartbreaking ballad “Chrysanthemum,” is about the murder of Oregon City girls Miranda Gaddis and Ashley Pond, and the album is dedicated to the girls and “the amazing city” of Portland. The Rose City echoes throughout the record.
The best songs here are ones where they take chances, and act as social critics.
The topical songs are particularly strong: “The New York Times” manages to be a moving tribute to the 9/11 victims that isn’t maudlin or sappy, and “Blackjack” is a scorching indictment of Attorney General John Ashcroft’s policies -- “Be careful what you asked for,” Alexakis hollers, “This is your American dream.”
The great single “Volvo Driving Soccer Mom” is a kitschy delight, taking on those reckless high school rebels who grew up, “sold out” and became buttoned-down conservative mothers. Catchy as heck, with a chorus asking “Where do all the porn stars go?”, it’s funny, off-color and indisputably real, like much of Everclear’s best material.
The fine lyric in “Science Fiction” sums up Everclear’s battered-yet-hopeful, us-against-them lyrical tone: “Life is getting better, for a while.”
However, some of the songs on “Slow Motion Daydream” are in a repetitive rut, sketching over the same themes explored in previous records. There’s too many anonymous narrators who “want to lose themselves” and “think of summertime” -- great sentiment, but it’s ground Everclear’s covered before.

Anyway, summing up, it's solid stuff, but it is slightly dissapointing that they seem to keep hitting the same themes over and over again. One of the things I did like about "American Movie" volume 1 in particular was that Art was branching out with his lyrics and songwriting styles, trying new approaches. As an evolution, this disc doesn't move forward a lot. But it's still a hell of a lot of fun to listen to...

Sierra Disc - nice review, I think you nailed it on the head.