Sparkle and Fade

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The Nirvana Revolution smashed opened the door for countless like-minded bands. Many were second-rate rip-offs, but Everclear was one deserving of the opportunity. Sure, the angst and crunchy post-punk riffs of Sparkle and Fade owe a debt to St. Kurt, but Art Alexakis's own outsider tales--sample titles include "Heroin Girl" and "You Make Me Feel like a Whore"--prove piercing in a woe-is-him sort of way. Featuring the swaggering, strangely euphoric "Santa Monica," itself one of the finer rock singles of '90's, Sparkle burns like a fresh wound. It's an exhilarating, if ultimately long-winded collection, far more accomplished than the band's hit-and-miss debut and not nearly as overtly radio-minded as it successor. --Neal Weiss --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Sparkle and Fade
Average customer rating:

If you want to experience some intensity........!

Superb in All Aspects

7.1/10.0

Brilliant Song Writing and Musical Range make for Everclear's Best

piss on emo!

Sparkle and Fade
Everclear
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

So Much for the Afterglow

Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile

Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude

Slow Motion Daydream

World of Noise

ASIN: B000002TTU
Release Date: 1995-05-23

Tracks:

Electra Made Me Blind
Heroin Girl
You Make Me Feel Like A Whore
Santa Monica
Summerland
Strawberry
Heartspark Dollarsign
The Twistinside
Her Brand New Skin
Nehalem
Queen Of The Air
Pale Green Stars
Chemical Smile
My Sexual Life

Amazon.com

The Nirvana Revolution smashed opened the door for countless like-minded bands. Many were second-rate rip-offs, but Everclear was one deserving of the opportunity. Sure, the angst and crunchy post-punk riffs of Sparkle and Fade owe a debt to St. Kurt, but Art Alexakis's own outsider tales--sample titles include "Heroin Girl" and "You Make Me Feel like a Whore"--prove piercing in a woe-is-him sort of way. Featuring the swaggering, strangely euphoric "Santa Monica," itself one of the finer rock singles of '90's, Sparkle burns like a fresh wound. It's an exhilarating, if ultimately long-winded collection, far more accomplished than the band's hit-and-miss debut and not nearly as overtly radio-minded as it successor. --Neal Weiss

Customer Reviews:

If you want to experience some intensity........!.......2007-07-08

"So Much for the Afterglow" is a great album but, "Sparkle and Fade" is stellar! Anyone that has ever felt "lost" or "mixed up" will connect with this album. Art has the uncanny ability to capture gritty, everyday moments and portray them with an angry and intelligent honesty. This is not relaxation music, nor is it music for those who like to keep their rose colored glasses on. "Sparkle and Fade" is intense and it resonates long after the music is over. "Summerland" and "Strawberry Burns" are two of my favorites on the album. Art is not a great singer, but he is a masterful story-teller and his raw vocal style only enhances the effect.

Superb in All Aspects.......2007-01-03

"Sparkle and Fade" was my introduction to Everclear, and a good one at that. It was actually one of the first discs I ever purchased; the music came to me at the perfect age -- a time in my life when I was realizing who I am and who I'd like to become. This music not only served as the soundtrack to my teenage years, but also helped to shape and mold them into years that I look back on with fond memories. Art Alexakis is at his lyrical best on this album, utilizing the proper words at the right spots to punctuate and accentuate his message. The music gains a lot of impact from the manner in which the words are sung. Each track is placed in the correct position to allow for proper reminiscence and reflection during the course of listening. I could not have chosen a more perfect album to introduce me to the world of music. And since not every track is a radio single, the album is still listenable all these many years later.

7.1/10.0.......2006-08-01

Anger. It happens. It can also sound really good, too. At least that's the case on Sparkle & Fade. This, the band's second (and remarkably improved) album finds Art and company rolling off a set of songs about anxiety, restlessness, and anger (the holy ghosts of grunge music). All fourteen of them are successes, largely on the basis of the band's ability at turning experience into emotion. Filler seems nonexistent in the space of these songs; the music is entirely in tune with the crookedness of modern living (loving a girl even when she loses herself inside an addiction, trying yourself to stay away from addictions, being caught in the dramas of a household). One of the most prominent themes of Sparkle & Fade seems to be escapism, but the album is a kind of escape in itself, for anyone who has ever felt the need to just "rock out." The music here is exhilarating in the same way driving fast can be; the lightness that comes in crowning hills and sliding through curves is reflected here, in the feeling of liberation as Art sings about broken households and the struggles with narcotics; the guitars, the drums manage to keep pace with these lyrics, artfully attuned to the emotions of each song. Their ability to exhilarate their audience amidst musings of desperation and anger is due almost entirely to the strength of the music they've created. What they sing on these 14 tracks, they mean, and that can make for a powerful listening experience for someone with troubles of their own.
Everclear Vodka. Translucent, potent, flammable. Here we find the adjectives have much in common with the band itself. But as with most drinks of this type, there's something lacking. It needs to be paired with other flavors for most people to properly enjoy it, for the alcohol to be properly accented. And that's much the case with Sparkle & Fade. It lacks the intricacies in lyrics and instrumentation that show a band has more than one thing to tell its audience. Though the tone of the band does shift occasionally (The Twistinside, Queen of the Air, My Sexual Life), what the band tells us remains the same throughout (the pervasive themes of escapism, emptiness, and trauma); and that's not enough to capture a rave review from the more competent musical critics. Thus, Sparkle & Fade, although a powerful and raw album with some great music, cannot be a complete success on the strength of those attributes alone. Like the vodka they've named themselves after, no one with fine-tuned tastes would choose to drink it straight up.

Brilliant Song Writing and Musical Range make for Everclear's Best.......2005-12-29

To date this is one of the best albums I've ever heard and imo the best rock album to come out of the 90s. It paints a vibrant story throughout the album that draws you in for a rollercoaster ride of sounds and emotions. The musical range and songwriting is second to none only downshadowed by a couple of misses.

Track 1 "Electra Made Me Blind" - This song is a fitting starter to the album that grabs you by the balls and simply tells you you're in for a hell of a ride, a simple straight up hard rock song, nothing more, nothing less: **** four stars

Track 2 "Heroin Girl" - This song takes you into an even deeper darker and harder rock, gripping lyrics and pounding guitars leave you at the edge of your seat. **** four stars

Track 3 "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore" - One of my favorites, this song eases up a bit, but the in your face lyrics and guitar rythm make it unforgettable. ***** five stars

Track 4 "Santa Monica" - The musical range takes a turn as we hear a softer rock song, that's warm and radio friendly with its unforgettable almost "country like" guitar hook and good time lyrics, if i could choose one song to sum up the album to someone who has never heard Sparkle and Fade this would be it. ***** five stars

Track 6 "Strawberry" - This song continues on with the drug theme that we first saw in "Heroin Girl" with no percussion, this song is almost like a calm after the thrashing storm of Heroin Girl. **** four stars

Track 5 "Summerland" - I whole heartidly believe this is the type of sound that Everclear should have continued working on as it brings the basic sounds we heard on their first independent grunge album "World of Noise" to the more mainstream songs found on this album, Art (lead singer/guitarist) has noted that this is his favorite Everclear song, and with good reason. ***** five stars

Track 7 "Heartspark Dollarsign" - A great rock pop song that I still can't see why it didn't catch on. This song whole heartidly takes us back to the topic of relationships found in previous songs. ***** five stars

Track 8 "The Twistinside" - This song has two faces to it, it starts off innocent and gets harder near the end, think of it as a mix of strawberry at the beginning and heroin girl at the end, a little repepative but i really like the lyrics on this one. **** four stars

Track 9 "Her Brand New Skin" - Our first miss of the record. So far on the album Everclear has spand several types of rock based music and they did it with great success, this track however kicks off a downside to the album: Punk Rock. I've never seen Everclear as a Punk Band, as well they shouldn't be. This song lacks content and structure, feels like it is just thrown together with no cause or place in the album. ** two stars

Track 10 "Nehalem" - Same as "Her Brand New Skin" no structure content or point, the punk is just out of place. ** two stars

Track 11 "Queen of the Air" - A mellow song with slightly distorted melodies, a heartfelt song reminiscent to another great "Fire Maple Song" off of "World of Noise", although it embodies that classic, it fell a little short of a masterpiece. **** four stars

Track 12 "Pale Green Stars" - The second hint of country appears in this song. A softer song about girly stuff, yadda yadda, something Everclear really shouldn't be relating to. *** three stars

Track 13 "Chemical Smile" - see track 9 and 10 for details. ** two stars

Track 14 "My Sexual Life" - Great Closer for the album, a beautiful melodic song once again about relationships that closes one hell of a ride. **** four stars

I believe the only downfall to the album's enternal greatness were the punkesque songs that failed me on every level, other than that it was by far the best MAINSTREAM Everclear Album, if you haven't already got this album, what in the hell are you waiting for? - word

piss on emo!.......2005-11-05

Emo, what a crappy name for a style of music. It supposed to stand for 'emotional' music as I understand. What the F were they ("Who are THEY? And where do they get their information?) thinking? All music is emotional. That's what it's about!
Anyway, this is a great and TRUELY emotional album. This is the best Everclear album. I lost interest for the most part after "So Much For the Afterglow" but "Sparkle and Fade" is one of my all time favorite albums. This is comiing from a die hard music fan of all genres, not just rock.

Average customer rating:

Sparkle and Fade
Everclear
Manufacturer: Phantom Sound & Vision
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B00000E2AO
Release Date: 1996-11-21

Average customer rating:

Captivating melodies flourish on a sparkling release
Lovely
Very Lovely Album..

Sparkle Shimmer Fade
Garden of Dreams
Manufacturer: The Orchard
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008KWU7
Release Date: 2003-02-18

Tracks:

Ashes
Never Said
She Loves You
Forget About The Stars
Never Said
Scanning For Pink

Album Description

Garden of Dreams is an emerging pop group that is now taking its catchy melodies, rich instrumentation, and spectacular stage shows to the next level.

Customer Reviews:

Captivating melodies flourish on a sparkling release.......2003-08-11

Big hooks and captivating melodies flourish on the sophomore release from synth pop / punk whiz kids, Garden of Dreams. While comparisons to nerd-rock dandies Weezer and new comers The All-American Rejects are inevitable for this fabulously named band, discerning listeners will note that above all things, this band achieves complete what few other bands can, compete originality.

Though barely old enough to legally buy an alcoholic drink in the year 2003, Garden of Dreams are capable songwriters, accomplished vocalists, and skilled instrumentalists. Guitar-driven and underpinned with a driving drum machine pounding out underlying backbeats, each cut on this album brims with harmonies that recall the early Who and classic Radiohead. Bolstered by the impetuous bar band bravado akin to the Replacements, Goo Goo Dools, and Fastball in all their ragged glory, Garden of Dreams passionately render songs about girls, love, self-doubt, and youthful abandon. These four boys prove that loud guitars and a broken heart make great rock & roll! These songs marry punk, pop and 80's charm with a clear sense of purpose and no particular loyalty to any style, taking only the best of each and arriving at a spiky, effervescent middle ground.

Singer Gene Blalock is especially convincing in his role as unfortunate lover. But on tracks like the well-developed "Ashes" and the highly orchestrated "Forget About The Stars," Blalock's comrades drive the whole shebang home with instrumental freight. And you'd have to be pretty hard-hearted not to find yourself echoing the sing-singy strains of "She Loves You" and "Scanning For Pink." Fans of paradoxical pop-- Box Car Racer, Fountains of Wayne, and their breed should take note. A talented band destined for great things, Garden of Dreams are primed to be embraced by the masses as leaders of the new music revolution.

Lovely.......2003-06-20

This album featurs six lovely songs. I highly reccomend you but it and listen to it. It will surely put a smile on your face :D...

Very Lovely Album.........2003-06-20

THIS ALBUM IS LOVELY!! I highly reccommend you take time out of your schedule to order it and listen to it. Also check out their rockn' website <...and join the street team

I gurantee this album will make you smile...

Sparkle Shimmer Fade
Average customer rating:
Sparkle Shimmer Fade

Manufacturer: Garden Of Dreams
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CADT10
Release Date: 2002-12-24