| Sun Songs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | October 11, 2019 |
| Recorded | April 2018 – April 2019 |
| Studio | Sugarnoise Studio, Pasadena, California, United States |
| Genre | Alternative rock |
| Length | 37:03 |
| Language | English |
| Label | BMG Rights Management/The End |
| Producer |
|
Sun Songs is the 2019 debut solo album by American alternative rock musician Art Alexakis, best known for fronting Everclear. The album was released by The End Records/BMG and received positive feedback from critics.
—Alexakis on recording Sun Songs [1]
Sun Songs was announced on early 2019 with a short promotional tour of the United States and British Isles. [2] The announcement coincided with Alexakis' revelation that he had been battling multiple sclerosis for three years, including the recording period for the album. [3] The process of recording and the lyrical content are introspective of Alexakis' health and reflections on his family life, centering the songwriting on his vocals and acoustic guitar. [4] Although he had never recorded solo material before, the songwriting that Alexakis did as part of his regular routine resulted in songs that he didn't want to use for Everclear and he entered the studio with a more spontaneous approach to recording. [5]
The editorial staff of AllMusic Guide gave Sun Songs four out of five stars, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing that Alexakis draws on his previous musical strength with Everclear but goes in a different direction that is more "bittersweet" without being "reflexively nostalgic" and that the artist "seems intent on not recycling his old ideas". [6]
All songs written by Art Alexakis
Everclear is an American rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1991. The band was formed by Art Alexakis, the band's lead songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist; and for most of the band's height of popularity, consisted of Craig Montoya on bass guitar and Greg Eklund on drums. After the limited release of their independently released debut album, World of Noise, the band found success with their first three albums on Capitol Records: Sparkle and Fade, So Much for the Afterglow, and Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile, which were all certified platinum in sales. However, the following two albums Songs from an American Movie Vol. Two: Good Time for a Bad Attitude and Slow Motion Daydream, were not as well received, and as sales suffered, Montoya and Eklund left the band shortly after in 2003.
Sparkle and Fade is the second album by Everclear, released in 1995. It was their first album to be released exclusively on Capitol Records; their previous effort, World of Noise, was re-released on Capitol after its introduction through the Portland, Oregon based label, Tim/Kerr Records. The album produced the singles "Heroin Girl," "Santa Monica," "Heartspark Dollarsign," and "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore." The album's music follows themes like addiction and romance through a loosely defined narrative similar to Art Alexakis' own troubled life when he was in his twenties.
Slow Motion Daydream is the sixth studio album by Everclear. It was released in the U.S. in 2003 on Capitol Records and recorded in 2002.
Arthur Paul Alexakis is an American musician best known as the singer-songwriter and guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several notable bands, in addition to his own work as a songwriter for other artists. Alexakis founded several record labels throughout his career, and worked as an A&R representative for major record labels between and during his own musical projects. Later he became a political activist, and lobbied for special concerns which included drug awareness policies, and support of the families of the military.
Sugar Ray is an American rock band formed in Newport Beach, California in 1986. Originally playing heavier nu metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their more pop-influenced single "Fly". The song's success led the band to shift its style dramatically to the more radio-friendly pop sound with their subsequent releases. Their best-selling album, 14:59, was released in 1999, and featured popular singles "Every Morning", "Someday", followed by a self-titled album in 2001 featuring the single "When It's Over". The band would release two further albums, In the Pursuit of Leisure (2003) and Music for Cougars (2009), though the albums and respective singles generally sold far less. The band continued to tour into the 2010s.
World of Noise is the debut album recorded by the band Everclear. It was recorded in a friend's basement for $400 with Art Alexakis on vocals/lead guitar, Craig Montoya on bass, Scott Cuthbert on drums and was released in 1993 by Tim Kerr Records.
So Much for the Afterglow is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Everclear, released on October 7, 1997. It contained the singles "Everything to Everyone", "I Will Buy You a New Life", "Father of Mine", "So Much for the Afterglow", and "One Hit Wonder". "Everything to Everyone", "I Will Buy You A New Life" and "Father of Mine," received heavy rotation on MTV's Total Request Live and launched Everclear into mainstream popularity in the late-90s. So Much for the Afterglow provided Everclear with their only Grammy nomination to date, a Best Rock Instrumental nod in 1998 for "El Distorto de Melodica."
Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Everclear, released on July 11, 2000. The album is a loose concept album inspired by lead singer Art Alexakis's second divorce. The first album is much more influenced by American pop music, especially from the 1970s, as well as being more "loving" in tone than the hard rock Good Time for a Bad Attitude. The album is dedicated to David Ridderhof and Louis Montoya.
Songs from an American Movie Vol. Two: Good Time for a Bad Attitude is the fifth studio album by Everclear, released on November 21, 2000. They recorded Vol. One and Vol. Two in the same year and released them only a few months apart. Both albums are loose concept albums inspired by Art Alexakis' second divorce. The first one is more pop-based and melodic, the second angrier with a more punk/hard rock sound. It also focuses more on the destruction of relationships in its lyrical content.
Craig Aloysius Montoya is the bassist of Castella and Tri-Polar and former bassist of Everclear.
Lou Reed is the debut solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in April 1972 by RCA Records, two years after he left the Velvet Underground. It was produced by Richard Robinson and Reed and features London session musicians as Reed's backing band, two of whom, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe, were from the British progressive rock band Yes. Wakeman recalled that during the recording sessions, "the lights had to be out so nobody could see." The album was recorded in Morgan Studios, London, between December 1971 and January 1972.
"AM Radio" is a rock song by the band Everclear. The song was recorded c. 2000 for Everclear's fourth album Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile. The song was released as the second single from Everclear's album Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile. It failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100, getting to number one on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. The "AM Radio" single was mistaken by many to be the first single from Everclear's fifth album, Songs from an American Movie Vol. Two: Good Time for a Bad Attitude because the song was released so soon before Everclear's fifth album's release. The song was later used in a television commercial for General Motors in early 2006.
Welcome to the Drama Club is the seventh studio album from rock band Everclear. It was released on September 12, 2006 by Eleven Seven Music. It was the first album to include the new line-up of Everclear, established following the departure of Craig Montoya and Greg Eklund after Everclear's previous album, Slow Motion Daydream. It was also the first album since Everclear's departure from Capitol Records.
"Santa Monica " is a rock song by the band Everclear, from their 1995 album Sparkle and Fade. The song was written by the band's lead singer, Art Alexakis. Though it was not officially released as a single in the United States, American radio stations played "Santa Monica" enough for it to reach number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and top the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for three weeks in 1996. It became a top-forty hit in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom; it is the band's highest-charting single in Australia.
Richard Marx is the debut studio album by singer/songwriter and record producer/arranger, Richard Marx, released in June 1987.
Everclear is a brand name of rectified spirit produced by the American company Luxco. It is made from grain and is bottled at 120, 151, 189, and 190 U.S. proof. Due to its market prevalence and high alcohol content, the product has become iconic, with a "notorious reputation" in popular culture. Sale of the 190-proof variation is prohibited in some states, which led Luxco to start selling the 189-proof version.
In a Different Light is a 2009 album by the band Everclear. It is the band's first album with label 429 Records. The album features re-recordings of songs from the band's previous albums, performed in a more stripped down and acoustic fashion, as well as two previously unreleased songs, "At the End of the Day" and "Here Comes the Darkness".
Invisible Stars is the eighth studio album of original material by alternative rock band Everclear. The album was released June 26, 2012 through eOne Music, and marked their first release of original material in six years, following 2006's Welcome to the Drama Club. The album's only single, "Be Careful What You Ask For", was released on May 15, 2012, with an accompanying music video in the following month. The album debuted at #119 on the Billboard 200.
Return to Santa Monica is a 2011 album by the band Everclear. It is the band's first album with label Cleopatra Records. The album consists of a mix of re-recorded Everclear originals and covers of other bands' hits.
"Heartspark Dollarsign" is the third single released from American rock band Everclear's second studio album, Sparkle and Fade. Lead singer Art Alexakis wrote the song before Everclear formed, while he was in the band Colorfinger. The song was then recorded by Everclear in 1994 and included on Sparkle and Fade, which was released in May 1995. The lyrics describe an interracial relationship, an activity Alexakis engaged in frequently during his youth.