As the angst-fueled grunge movement of the early '90s morphed from a string of heavy statements from obscure Seattle bands into a fully commodified mainstream product, dozens of bands cropped up to offer a more digestible version of the often caustic sentiments set forth by
Nirvana
,
Alice in Chains
, and the like. One of the more artistically legitimate of these bands was Portland, Oregon's
Everclear
, a trio that drove songwriter
Art Alexakis
' heavy-hearted lyrical portraits with more accessible pop song structures. The result were a series of incredibly catchy breakout hits over the course of a strong career, many of which are collected on this 12 track compilation,
The Very Best of Everclear
. Smash hits like "Santa Monica" and "Father of Mine" make obligatory appearances, as does their re-interpolation of
Van Morrison
's "Brown Eyed Girl" and a more true to form cover of the
Police
's "Every Breath You Take." ~ Fred Thomas