Quite possibly one of the most underrated and under-appreciated bands of the last decade, Everclear is rocking its hardest to make people stand up and listen. Just four months after its last release, Learning How to Smile, Everclear has given us the second half of their Songs From an American Movie concept, Good Time for a Bad Attitude. With this album, its fifth overall, the band is trying to stay away from the less intense rock that was masked so wonderfully as pop on its album So Much For the Afterglow. What we get instead is good, old-fashioned guitar-driven hard rock.
The CD begins with the very upbeat "When It All Goes Wrong Again," quite possibly the best opening track the band has used thus far. The lead singer Art Alexakis reminisces about his past as a drug addict, and the downhearted lyrics are all but forgotten amidst the powerful guitar riff and heavy-handed drums.
This is a band that defines rock musicians in the truest sense. It's full of the fury that is demanded of a good rock band, and completely resistant to the mindlessness and fads that surround them. In "Slide," Alexakis sings: "Yes I know it's wrong but I just can't seem to control my age / Yes I know it's wrong but I just can't seem to control my rage." In the playfully humorous "Babytalk," he lets loose a rant ridiculing all his friends who allow their girlfriends to change them. "She has him by the balls / I hate you when you talk like that / I wish you would talk like a grown man." On "Rock Star," the band manages to deliver a slap in the face to all the mediocre "rock" bands that seem to be invading MTV lately.
There are lots of gems on this album, and they cover a wide spectrum of moods and sounds. One of the more impressive ones is the instrumental "Halloween Americana," where the band truly gets to flex its talent muscles. Craig Montoya's bass and Greg Eklund's drums wonderfully support Alexakis as he meanders through several different tempos and riffs with a couple different guitars. "The Good Which of the North" and "Overwhelming" are both slower, sweet songs that are heavy on acoustic guitars and could very well become hit singles.
Alexakis, who also produced the album, has never shied away from sharing his personal life for the sake of good music, as was seen on past songs "Father of Mine" and "Wonderful." The same is true on Bad Attitude. "All Fucked Up" captures the general tone of frustration and angst found throughout entire album, and is easily its hardest-rocking song.
Closing the CD is "Song From an American Movie, pt.2," the record's best and most touching song, both lyrically and melodically. It is a song dedicated to Alexakis' daughter, whom he has tried to protect from the pain associated with his divorce from her mother. "Just the sound of my little girl laughing/Makes me happy just to be alive," he sings, amid catchy guitar licks and tight, ambient bass and drum work.
To anyone worried about the state and quality of modern rock, rest assured: if Everclear and this album are any indication, there are still talented bands out there making good music.
