Spun: Everclear

By Kevin de Vlaming

Yes, Everclear are still making music. No, Welcome to the Drama Club doesn’t have anything new to offer that hasn’t already been heard from Art Alexakis & co. before. With Welcome to the Drama Club, Alexakis, the only remaining original member, clearly hoped to capitalize on an honest, personal expression of the troubles he’s been through since Everclear’s 2003 breakup. The album’s lyrics read like a VH1: Behind the Music episode, covering everything from his conversion from rockstar to washup, to his subsequent divorce and bankruptcy claim. One spin through the album leaves the listener feeling very much as if he or she was Alexakis’ personal therapist, a position not to be envied.

The marketability of Alexakis’ misery, however, is in conflict with the sheer redundancy of the music. The catchy pop hooks are still there, as are the ever-present sex references and trademark ‘woa-oh’s and ‘yea-hey’s. Nothing has changed about Everclear’s music in the last ten years, except that Alexakis’ monotone drawl has shifted from being quaint and charming to tired and stale. Unless the name Everclear doesn’t ring any bells at all, the indulgence of nostalgia presents the only real argument as to why this album could be worth purchasing.