On “So Much for the Afterglow”, we all marveled at Everclear’s mix of lighter popish music like “One Hit Wonder” and “I will Buy you a New Life” with music that was much darker, like “Amphetamine”, “Why I don’t Believe in God”, and “Like a California King”. On their new album, “Songs from an American Movie Volume I: Learning How to Smile”, they give their dark side amiss, and concentrate more on pop. The result, while not entirely disappointing, is much less vivid then “Afterglow”. However, I have heard that Volume II is going to concentrate on their darker edge, so we have that to look forward to. The album itself isn’t entirely lacking good tracks, though all lack the style of the popish songs mentioned above. “Wonderful” is a clever, touching story of a young boy struggling through a divorce. “A.M. Radio” is a cool tribute to the past, when you could only hear your favorite song on A.M. radio, hence the title. And it has a spirited cover of Van Morrisson's "Brown Eyed Girl". However, I think that an album with songs about mothers who have nervous breakdowns, a sad whore named Amy, and being poor are better then an album with songs that are mostly about love, whether lost or found.
My grade: B-
My Favorite Things About the Album
Random quote from this album
This is going to sound a little obsessive
This is going to sound a little bit strange
I have one thing to say before I turn and walk away
This is going to sound a little impulsive
This is going to sound a little insane
I know that you don't know me yet
But you and I
We will be together someday
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