Songs from an American Movie…

Reviewed by:
David Peisner

Thanks to hits like “Santa Monica” and “Everything to Everyone,” the radio has fallen in love with Everclear over the past few years. With their new, confusingly titled album (don’t worry, it’s not a soundtrack), the band is making it clear that they’re ready to consummate the relationship. Overflowing with hooks that’ll cling to you like a cheap shower curtain, Songs from an American Movie is sure to be blaring out of car stereos all summer. Frontman Art Alexakis embraces his inner pop jones without shame, creating a relentlessly sunny record, especially considering these guys are from the rainy hipster mecca of Portland, Oregon. Insistent melodies and bouncy rhythms charge tracks like “AM Radio” and “Here We Go Again,” but occasionally their homage to the Top 40 goes too far. Whoever thought it was a cool idea to cover Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” a song already beaten into the ground by every coffeehouse hack with a guitar, needs to come get their ass-whuppin’. The trio recovers quickly though, injecting lazy, country soul into “Thrift Store Chair” and giving us pointers on picking up chicks at the unemployment office with the exultant rocker “Unemployed Boyfriend.” At times the whole thing gets so sugary you’ll want to make an appointment with the dentist, but even so, this is an American Movie worth getting in line for.