By Roman Soto
Have you ever pressed shuffle on your playlist, only to have the repetitive nature of the selected musical genre play continuously on your listening device? Well, my fellow music connoisseurs, you’ve just stumbled upon a place to expand your music taste. Welcome to Roman’s Empire, your new favorite music column. My job here is to persuade you to add the suggested artist or genre to your playlist. Here, we delve into some of music’s most captivating yet underrated artists from all over the world. It’s simple: find a comfortable chair and prepare to expand your musical knowledge. Today, we explore the brilliant elements that frame the Palm Desert Scene’s grainy sound.
Often, alternative fans overlook Everclear’s musical genius, thinking they’re a “one-hit-wonder” with their iconic breakout song “Santa Monica.” The song reached #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for three weeks in 1996 and is currently trending on TikTok. However, the band’s depth of significant tracks delves far beyond the mainstream and popular songs most rock fans know; especially on their older albums, Everclear displays a unique creativity that distinguishes them as one of the more underappreciated artists of the 1990’s alt-rock scene.
Everclear’s sole consistent member has been singer-songwriter Art Alexakis, who formed the band in Portland, Oregon, in 1992, inspired by 1970s punk rock and eager to pour stories of his riotous personal life into meaningful lyrics. Throughout the eras, their controlled chaos has transcended into a distinguished and forgotten sound that must be revived. To further improve your Everclear listening experience, below are two essential songs that certainly deserve a spot in your rock playlist.
“Father of Mine” (So Much For The Afterglow)
Written from the perspective of a child abandoned by his father, few songs intricately uncover the emotional toll the absence of a parent inflicts on a child. Throughout “Father of Mine”, Art Alexakis describes his father’s abusive relationship with his mother, the sudden emptiness the absence of his dad left him with when he abandoned him, all while chanting, “My daddy gave me a name, then he walked away.” The lyrics, a true story of Art Alexakis’ father’s abandonment, aided by the frontman’s passionate riff, masterfully tell his story through the final artistic product: “Father of Mine.” Alexakis expresses his intent to break the familial cycle at the end of the song with the gut-wrenching verse, “Now I am a grown man, with a child of my own, and I swear I’ll never let her know of the pain I have known.” In short, the story’s melancholic nature and upbeat catchiness juxtapose opposing moods while exemplifying the emotional resonance behind many of Everclear’s greatest hits.
“I Will Buy You A New Life” (So Much For The Afterglow)
Yet again, Everclear provides a breathtaking example of an emotionally weighty topic turned musical triumph through the lyrics of “I Will Buy You A New Life.” Art Alexakis illustrates the difficult times in the past when his then-girlfriend (now-wife) and daughter were living with him in an impoverished area stricken with crime known as Felony Flats, Portland, Oregon. In the song, he describes his aspirations and his desire to provide his family with a better life, to escape the “down and out” lifestyle they adopted as they struggled to sustain themselves and provide for a child. From a musical perspective, the guitar’s riff evokes an optimistic tone to match the sanguine buoyance of Alexakis’ message to his audience.