• Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Mar 11, 2003
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 14
  2. Negative: 4 out of 14
  1. If it's an album that also argues that the band is working from formula, it's one they'd be wise to patent.
  2. Spin
    75
    Musically, Everclear sound almost exactly the same as when they signed with Capitol in 1995: punk, profoundly polished. But the details Alexakis sprinkles into the mix keep things interesting. [Apr 2003, p.102]
  3. On Slow Motion Daydream Everclear proves that it's still quite capable of delivering solid, rocking songs with memorable hooks, and frontman Art Alexakis still has plenty to say.
  4. Slow Motion Daydream isn't the knockout return to form it might have been, but it's significantly better than might be expected from the first impression its miserable single creates.
  5. Mellow moments abound, with gentle strings and pseudofolky melodies seeping into the mix, but most songs bank on the winsome charisma of the chunky guitars and Alexakis' grief-tinged Northwestern drawl, both of which manage to sound simultaneously cathartic and hook-y.
  6. While Slow Motion Daydream isn't quite as fresh as Everclear sounded on their 1994 debut Sparkle and Fade, a close listen reveals an entirely new layer of angst and existential dread that Alexakis and company have added to their repertoire.
  7. Consolidates the strengths and weaknesses of the American Movie one disc.
  8. Blender
    50
    Mostly, though, this is vintage mid-'90s Everclear. [#15, p.122]
  9. Q Magazine
    50
    Attempts to obscure the paucity of decent songs with endless guitar wittering. [Apr 2003, p.102]
  10. Despite the fact that nobody bought their lackluster last two albums, Art Alexakis and his two lackeys are back with the even more banal and unnecessarily loud Slow Motion Daydream.
  11. Filter
    37
    They don't stray from what they know and they don't tarry from their blueprint. It's just that they don't know much and their blueprint was done in crayon. [#5, p.92]
  12. Entertainment Weekly
    33
    The band has never seemed so stale. [14 Mar 2003, p.66]
  13. 30
    Slow Motion Daydream is a real treat for Everclear fans since it's just a continuation of the Everclear sound, even if that sound is contrived and average.
  14. Mostly consists of generic rock, the sparkling production wiping clean any trace of roughness or originality in the group’s sound.
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 2 out of 14
  1. Gio
    Feb 9, 2006
    10
    Not their best, but still awesome. They're still my favorite group, five years running now. :D
  2. TheUnderlord
    Oct 11, 2004
    2
    What a fucking joke...
  3. MikeH
    Oct 13, 2003
    9
    Don't be put off; this is the best album Everclear has produced since So Much for the Afterglow. Indeed, where it even surpasses the Don't be put off; this is the best album Everclear has produced since So Much for the Afterglow. Indeed, where it even surpasses the earlier album is in the consistency of the output; there are no filler tracks on Slow Motion daydream, and the 12 tracks display the whole range of Everclear's music wonderfully. Sure the album doesn't rock as hard as their first few, but the songwriting makes up for this easily. Art has matured as a genuine songwriter, and it has allowed Everclear to survive when many of their contemporaries have fallen by the wayside. Full Review »