Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile

1	Song From An American Movie, pt. 1 1:39
2	Here We Go Again 4:10
3	A.M. Radio 3:56
4	Brown Eyed Girl 4:21
5	Learning How To Smile 3:50
6	The Honeymoon Song 3:38
7	Now That It's Over 3:49
8	Thrift Store Chair 2:08
9	Otis Redding 3:56
10	Unemployed Boyfriend 4:15
11	Wonderful 5:01
12	Annabella's Song 4:35

Barnes & Noble

On Songs from an American Movie Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile, mainstream alt rockers Everclear approach things Ice Cube-style. No, front man Art Alexakis isn't sporting a badass posse or spittin' lyrics about gang-bangin' (though he does rap on "AM Radio"). It's just that Everclear have chosen to release their latest musical project in two parts, as Cube did with his opus War & Peace. The first installment of Songs from an American Movie -- alleged to be the poppier of the two -- is a summery rock album filled with jangly guitars, raspy vocals, and trad rock rhythms that recall Tom Petty or John Mellencamp. Fortunately, Everclear stay out of retroville by updating their sound with electronic percussion, braying horns, gliding strings, and even DJ scratching. "Now That It's Over" starts with the opening beat from the Beastie Boys' "Rhymin' and Stealin'" before dissolving into a hook-filled breakup song that chronicles the dissolution of Alexakis's marriage (much of the record follows suit)."Here We Go Again" could be an homage to Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer," and "AM Radio" sounds like the Barenaked Ladies crossed with Beck and Wild Cherry. As imagistic and inviting as Songs from an American Movie Vol. 1 is, none of the tunes have the propulsive charge of "Heroin Girl" or "So Much for the Afterglow." Perhaps Everclear are saving another batch of charged-up rockers for Vol. 2. Jon Wiederhorn

All Music Guide

If the two-part title weren't enough of a tip-off, let's make this clear: Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile is a concept album, based on Everclear leader Art Alexakis' divorce. Many pop musicians have mined this territory before, but Alexakis pulls off an ingenious move by dividing his divorce album in two parts and two records, separating falling in love from the fallout. Learning How to Smile is the courtship album, painting a picture of when everything was wonderful. He goes back further than that, returning to his childhood, specifically the sparkling, catchy late-'60s and '70s pop that provided the soundtrack to his coming of age. It's all innocent, from the sounds and melodies to the aesthetic; at first, it's hard to tell that this music was made in the wake of a divorce. As the album unfolds, certain themes of regret, sadness, and longing run to the surface, but they're all coated in glittering pop melodies and big rock riffs that mask the emotions of the songs. And, make no mistake, Alexakis is digging deep into his psyche, especially at the end of the record as the romance begins to fall apart. What makes Learning How to Smile work -- and an album this ambitious could easily have collapsed under its own weight -- is that the songs are strong and smart and are given savvy productions that make them sound even smarter. Very few of Everclear's peers could have pulled off an album that skillfully balances such an arty concept with such strong, strikingly revealing songs. Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 1 is the band's best, most consistent effort to date -- and certainly whets the appetite for the sequel. Stephen Thomas Erlewine