Everclear created the two 90’s masterpieces, Sparkle And Fade and So Much For The Afterglow. The band was busy after that and waited three years to follow up Afterglow. But first, Art got a divorce. He was pretty pissed, and decided to make a solo album about it. He couldn’t find any decent musicians for the album and decided the best way to go was Craig and Greg, thus this album is Everclear. It is by all means a concept album, the first of two. This is about the good times before the bad and the transition from wonderful to awful.
The first song is probably the album’s best. Here We Go Again is without a doubt a masterpiece. The trombones and trumpets add a perfect touch. His lyrics are about him arguing with his wife. Everclear always does a really good job of rocking hard without becoming heavy.
There are a good share of happy sounding songs on here, even if they have darker meanings. These guys did a decent job of covering the immortal Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl. Without listening to the lyrics you might not even know that this was his song. It sounds way different. Of course everybody remembers AM Radio. It’s probably the most poppy and concepty of all the songs. It’s about Art’s childhood, and all the things he’s proud of and all the mistakes he regrets. The music is crazy and samples some old song. Another very lovable track is Learning How To Smile, the other title track. He goes deeply into reminiscing into his past here. Art sings about various topics, from passing out and “selling acid to the wrong guy.” The chorus is just plain spectacular. “You said there is no perfect place I said I know this is true, I’m just learning how to smile, that’s not easy to do.” This is definitely one of the finest tracks this band has ever written. It could easily fit in with the rest of the whole Sparkle And Fade concept. The Honeymoon Song gets pretty old fast. The lead instrument is a mandolin and it has the whole Hawaiian style to it. Some of the lyrics are laughable, but you’ll probably end up skipping this.
But staying true to what this album is about, there are quite a few pissy angry songs on here. Now That It’s Over could be the best. The beginning of the song sets the tone with Art shouting out “Yeah Right!” followed by a sample of When The Levee Breaks. The guitar playing is wicked. Art sings in a much different voice here as he wails out his angsty voice. “My nightmare’s don’t scare me now, baby without you.” “I wish I could find a way to tell, in the best way possible for you and your friends to go to Hell.” The end of the song is unbelievable, and I guess you’ll have to listen to it yourself to figure out. Otis Redding is another masterpiece. Cool guitar playing with nice violins and sad lyrics. He’s basically pleading his wife not to break up with him now, telling her to remember what it was like before problems started occurring. The chorus is catchy and this song is just another perfect pop song.
Chances are, if you know one Everclear song it’s Wonderful. We all know the lyrics, about a kid who’s parents are breaking up, and his struggles to deal with it. It starts out as a soft poppy tune. It quickly evolves into a beautiful hard rock work of art.. This is a deserving song to be a band’s biggest hit. “I just want my life to be the same, just like it used to be, some days I hate everything.” Don’t be turned off by the childish subject matter, just admit you love it. The final track is Annabella’s song, Art’s tribute to his daughter. I sometimes find it painfully cheesy to listen to, but that’s my opinion.
So, enough about Art, what about the other guys? Well, not much to say since this is basically a solo album. Drumming: bland. Bass work: ok. Craig and Greg are best here for doing the backup vocals. Otherwise this album is totally dominated by the notorious frontman.
Learning How To Smile is just another overlooked, spectacular album by an overlooked band. If you want to get into Everclear, go for this album or the two before it. You’ll love any of them, despite how different they are.
Recommended Tracks
Here We Go Again
Now That It's Over
Learning How To Smile
Wonderful
Otis Redding
4.5/5
