"This is a song about Susan" is the first line of Everclear's follow-up to the deservedly platinum Sparkle and Fade. That personalization is one of Art Alexakis's greatest gifts to postgrunge rock; rather than float generalized rage over the ever-growing roar of his power trio, he tells you his stories, those of the people around him, some he makes up--and makes them all yours in the end. The development in the music here, from the Beach Boys-style chorale at the top of the title cut to the new wavey jerkiness of "Everything to Everyone" and "Normal Like You," boasts of not only the band's surefootedness but Alexakis's own generosity. The latter is best reflected in "Father of Mine," one of the saddest, most brutal songs about family ever. --Rickey Wright
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