‘So Much For The Afterglow,’ the new album by Everclear, is just the CD for a nice weekend drive with the windows down. This Portland trio pulls off incredibly sweet and catchy pop hooks with their third release. With drummer Greg Eklund and bassist Craig Montoya, 36-year-old front man, Art Alexakis, has finally found his niche to tell the world about the sad stories of his life and the folks around him.’People like the sad song they don’t have to sing,’ Alexakis said. ‘So Much For The Afterglow’ is full of twisted characters that have experienced enough personal trauma to last five lifetimes. Most of the time, these characters are a combination of a bunch of people, including himself, he said.After a Beach Boys style acappella intro, the title track surges forth with tuned-up power chords in a song about ‘the everyday occurrences that make me feel like letting go/ yes I think we got a problem/ so much for the afterglow.’ On the radio-friendly ‘Everything to Everyone,’ Everclear pulls off another ‘Santa Monica’ with an infectious tune that simply needs to be heard.In ‘Father of Mine,’ a heart-felt story about his father leaving, Alexakis asks, ‘Father of mine/ Tell me how do you sleep/ with the children you abandoned/ and the wife I saw you beat?’ With issues like this, he strikes at a soft spot with which many can identify.The upbeat ‘Amphetamine’ tells the story of a girl who is ‘perfect in that f**ked up way/ that all the magazines seem to want to glorify these days.’ Lashing out at the big-headed rock star is ‘One Hit Wonder,’ and rounding out the album, a hidden song detailing the Christmas card from his ex-girlfriend about her new house, new boyfriend, new life, etc., inspiring Alexakis’ reply- ‘I’ll be hating you for Christmas.”So Much For The Afterglow’ is a solid work proving that Everclear has planted a definite seed in the growing comeback of pop music. The incredibly sad lyrics juxtaposed by the amazingly upbeat ‘riffs’ come together to reach a comfortable equilibrium. Crossing new frontiers for the band, Everclear introduces sampling, instrumentals, and even a country twang on ‘Why I Don’t Believe in God.’ Now you know what to do- pick up ‘So Much For The Afterglow’ and hit the road.