So Much for the Afterglow

It was originally going to be called Pure White Evil,[16] however, the title was changed to So Much for the Afterglow in March 1997.

Early on, singer Art Alexakis wanted to create "a combination of even heavier songs, more punk songs, and then kind of more melodic stuff."[16] By the time touring for Sparkle and Fade ended and recording began, the direction of the album shifted.[16] Alexakis remarked to MTV that, "the fact is, Sparkle and Fade was a rock record with pop influences; this time we tried to make a pop record with rock influences."[17] Regarding the recording process, Greg Eklund reflected, "We rented a room in a warehouse, oddly enough by Esco Steel, where I used to work, in Northwest Portland. We were literally around the corner from where I used to work in a steel foundry. I don't know how we found it, but it was in a really dilapidated warehouse down there. And Craig got, like, shingles and some weird flu that put him in the hospital or something. So I remember when we started working on Art's new songs it was just him and me."[16] He also noted there was pressure to follow up the success of the song "Santa Monica", commenting "We'd had some success with "Santa Monica" but there was a really big question mark whether we'd be able to continue that. You know what everybody says—you have 10 years to write your first record and six months to write your second. Art was a good songwriter, so I knew we had good songs, but it was sorta like, 'Wow, if this doesn't go, this might all end right here.'"[16]

Pro Tools were utilized during the recording, including on the song "El Distorto de Melodica", which was composed in Pro Tools by associate producer Lars Fox, using techniques he'd developed while with his band, Grotus.[16] On earlier Everclear releases, Alexakis sped up the tapes of songs to make them faster and more energetic. Due to Pro Tools, he was able to speed up songs without having his pitch altered. Fox recalled that "Everything to Everyone" was sped up by ten percent. He remarked, "If he'd sung it and sped it up that much he'd sound like Mickey Mouse. He'd sound like a chipmunk. So he sung it with the track already sped up some percentage."[16]

The final mixes for So Much for the Afterglow were completed in June 1997.[18]

So Much for the Afterglow received a mostly positive reaction from critics. The Orlando Sentinel observed in their review that, "It almost seems that Everclear is writing a soundtrack for their lives by singing about the "girl next door," poverty, egotistical snobs and a father who abandons his family. Though Everclear does tackle some depressing subjects, their songs don't become Pearl Jam-like depress-fests because of the band's positive outlook and upbeat music."[19] Spin claimed the album explored "oddly grown-up topics for alt-rock", also noting similarities with the band's previous work, stating "On Sparkle and Fade, the centerpieces “Santa Monica” and “Summerland” deal expressly with escaping to begin a new life in a new place, west of here, beside the ocean if at all possible. Now in "Amphetamine," Miss Perfect-in-a-Fucked-Up-Way comes "out West to find the sun"".[12] Rolling Stone gave the album a mixed review, stating "the songs on So Much for the Afterglow manage only to present a series of victims, objects of leadman Art Alexakis' confused contempt or peculiarly mopey brand of compassion: the neglectful ne'er-do-well of "Father of Mine"; the people-pleasing nymphet of the first single, "Everything to Everyone"; the two-dimensional "magazine girl" of "Amphetamine." Alexakis seems incapable of irony, depicting these people in a manner that's never less than heavy-handed."[10]

All lyrics are written by Art Alexakis; all music is composed by Alexakis, Craig Montoya and Greg Eklund.

Band

• Art Alexakis - Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin, Piano, Steel guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Horn Arrangements, String Arrangements, Cover Art Concept, Cover Design, Toy piano
• Greg Eklund - Percussion, Drums, Keyboards, Vocals, Assistant Producer, Slide whistle
• Craig Montoya - Mandolin, Bass guitar, Keyboards, Sound Effects, Vocals, Assistant Producer

Additional musicians

• Paul Cantelon - Violin
• Derron Nuhfer - Saxophone
• Buddy Schaub - Trombone
• Gerri Sutyak - Cello
• Rami Jaffee - Vox Organ

Production

• Neal Avron - Trumpet, Producer, Engineer, Vocal Arrangement, Horn Arrangements, Mixing
• Tom Banghart - Assistant Engineer
• Mike Baumgartner - Assistant Engineer
• Steven Birch - Coordination, Art Direction, Design, Cover Art Concept, Cover Design
• Ian Blanch - Mixing Assistant
• Nick Brophy - Assistant Engineer
• Lars Fox - Sampling, Loops, Assistant Producer
• Dave Friedlander - Assistant Engineer
• Krista Gaylor - Photography
• Bill Jackson - Assistant Engineer
• Bob Ludwig - Mastering
• Frank Ockenfels - Photography, Cover Art
• Ronnie Rivera - Assistant Engineer
• Jim Rondinelli - Engineer, String Arrangements, Assistant Producer
• Kenneth A. Van Druten - Assistant Engineer
• Andy Wallace - Mixing
• Perry Watts-Russell - Executive Producer
• Joe Zook - Editing, Editing Assistant, Transfer Assistant

Album - Billboard (North America)

Singles - Billboard (North America)