Review Summary: About what you'd expect from a pop-friendly band, but infused with enough creativity to make it interesting.
In the mid to late 90’s, the days of moody, soul-crushing grunge were beginning to fade away; as it turns out, having such depressing music broadcast without end got tiring after a while. So there were those who were encouraged to produce something positive and upbeat to contrast with the grim tunes on the airwaves; thus, came a sudden explosion of alternative rock. Simple, formulaic melodies with easy-on-the-ears vocalists and a general feeling of happiness (for the most part) became part of a movement, and
Everclear was just a small part of this movement. Tunes like the melodic, bittersweet “Santa Monica”, “Everything to Everyone”, and the confident, pumping “Father of Mine” made them one of the next big things, but they eventually started to drift away from the radio after the 90’s were done and over with - there’s a good chance that some people forgot they existed, and this was proof with
Slow Motion Daydream, where a combination of mid-tempo songs and a lack of promotion killed Everclear’s popularity significantly; in comparison to, say,
So Much For the Afterglow, it was a washout.
Pretty harsh response to something that isn’t horrible by any means – in fact, it’s a bit strange as to why Everclear’s popularity started to dwindle at this point, because
Slow Motion Daydream is by far and away not their worst album. It is not their best, most interesting release, but it’s pretty damn good as far as things go for an incredibly radio-friendly group. Album opener “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and the absolutely ridiculous single “Volvo-Driving Soccer Mom” are very fun, bombastic tracks – none of these songs experiment in new territory or have spectacular musicianship, but damn it, they’re catchy and they work in the album’s favor.
Daydream has an impressive amount of slower songs, all of which are largely hit-or-miss. The standout, “TV Show”, is the ironclad masterpiece of the album, a track that gradually builds from a quiet, drum-dominated intro into a euphoric rocker graced with the occasional stroke of an acoustic guitar and piano, the kind of song that Everclear needed more of. “New Blue Champion”, though its lyrical content is laughably mediocre, is also a vital tune, a bittersweet tune with a trippy, ripe guitar tone and minimalistic backing rhythm. However, there are too few songs that play a supporting role to the aforementioned stars of the album – the LP could easily have done without the snore-inducing arena rocker “Blackjack”, pointless ballad “Chrysanthemum”, or the overlong “Sunshine”, though the latter has the dubious honor of having the best lyrics.
“You wait for something that will never come
You twist and turn in the slow motion daydream
You twist and turn in your own sweet hell
I don't get so close to the fire anymore, but when I think of you now,
It makes me think of summertime”
Even with all that in mind, it’s still puzzling why Everclear didn’t continue being a well-known name, because
Slow Motion Daydream is actually pretty good and has all the components a successful, radio-friendly rock band might need: light rock melodies, an easy-on-the-ears vocalist, polished production. Of course, none of that would have mattered if the band itself was terrible, but Everclear is not that by any means –
Slow Motion Daydream is a relatively classy album, one that doesn’t recreate Everclear’s sound in an interesting way nor dishonors their memory, and it possesses a nice-enough list of pop anthems that make it worth a casual listen.
