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Weezer - Weezer

Rating

RIYL

Nerf Herder
Green Day
Beck
Nada Surf

Label

Geffen Records

Tracklist

1. Trouble Maker
2. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)
3. Pork and Beans
4. Heart Songs
5. Everybody Get Dangerous
6. Dreamin’
7. Thought I Knew
8. Cold Dark World
9. Automatic
10. The Angel and the One
11. Miss Sweeney
12. Pig
13. The Spider
14. King

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Recent Ratings
danielwasilewski	Dave Spak

Weezer suffers from a rare circumstance that sometimes occurs in the music industry. This is brought on by having a debut that was actually too good. The release of Weezer (The Blue Album) had set the bar much too high for future releases by the band. After having an instant classic for a debut album, it’s hard for any subsequent release not to be a bit disappointing. Even Pinkerton, which is currently a fan favorite, was considered a colossal letdown when it first arrived. Their last album Make Believe was the final straw for many fans. The cookie-cutter songwriting and cheesy pop anthems left disciples giving up hope that the band could return to the glorious form that they possessed in the 90s. Even critics were completely divided with some stating that the album may have been misunderstood as Pinkerton was so many years before. But as most of us know by now, Make Believe was not misunderstood. On the contrary, it was exactly what everyone feared: a straightforward pop album devoid of the creative songwriting that Weezer is capable of.

Having already explained why Weezer will never be able to live up to any amount of hype, the saving grace for their newest eponymous album is that it actually may be the misunderstood album that Make Believe could never have been. For starters, frontman and primary songwriter Rivers Cuomo has shown a renewed interested in experimentation within song structures. This is most evident in “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)”. Besides the prog-ish title, the form ebbs and flows between many different styles and features a laundry list of musical attributes including a hip-hop influenced section, acoustic guitars, crunchy riffs, soulful vocals, and Queen-esque harmonies. It hiccups because of a few awkward moments but happens to work well as a whole. If anything, its one of the more ambitious songs we have heard from Rivers and that is at least a step in the right direction.

Rivers has also stepped up his pop-song writing abilities since the last album. The opener “Troublemaker” is rebellious anthem in classic short-and-sweet Weezer style. The first single “Pork and Beans” is also a vast improvement from the drivel that was “Beverly Hills”. Although these songs are very enjoyable, they are also incredibly revealing about the problems that Weezer can’t overcome. The most obvious of these are Rivers’ lyrics which have been an almost embarrassing self parody displaying the polarization within the music and the man himself. They illustrate a man that refuses to grow up but is also becoming increasingly conscious that he is reaching middle age. This translates to the schizophrenic songwriting that plagues the album. It’s clear that the band likes to stay in the limelight and therefore some of the more experimental leanings seem hampered by the fact that they may turn off the pop culture crowd and Rivers clearly likes to be a crowd pleaser.

“Everybody Get Dangerous” is a prime example of how a song can be ruined by poor lyrical content. It is definitely faulted by its lackluster chorus and even the “Sympathy for the Devil” influenced ending can’t save it. “Dreamin’”, although no less tacky, seems all around more sincere. It doesn’t hurt that the songwriting is much tighter and will probably suck you into singing the chorus along with Rivers and the gang. He hasn’t entirely lost his ability to write a heartfelt anthem either. I’m not referring to “Heart Songs” which sounds like the result of a teenager learning to play guitar for the first time and singing about his favorite songs. “The Angel and The One” is the song which shows that he is still capable of writing an effective ballad presenting both personal as well as passionate qualities.

The three songs that were not entirely written or sung by Rivers come off as favors to the other members of the band who may have been complaining that he gets to do all the songwriting. They seem to lack the Weezer charm and are shining examples of why he should be doing all the songwriting. “Thought I Knew” is a harmless enough song but comes off as a bad Elvis Costello b-side. “Cold Dark World” is where the band starts to wear on your patience. The faux hip-hop beat and rapping simply don’t work and are at times laughable. “Automatic” is the song I had feared the band would eventually write. It could easily be confused with any generic ‘rock’ group on Billboard’s Top 40 and it’s almost heartbreaking to hear that it could be found on a Weezer album.

Another major downfall of the album is the seriously unfortunate track selection and sequencing. This album cannot be given a fair evaluation without hearing the bonus tracks which are confusingly better that the majority of songs that made it onto the record. “Miss Sweeny” is a reflective song containing an irresistible sweeping chorus and is deserving of a better fate than b-side. “The Spider” is also much better than most of what had made the final cut. The enveloping synth that carries a dreamy atmosphere over acoustic guitars would have been a welcome change of pace on the record. Hell, even Scott Shriner’s “King” is miles above his contribution on “Cold Dark World”. These tracks show the promise that this album really had

Having fallen victim to the terrible affliction of high expectations, Weezer is able to maintain but not overcome. The fact that they tried to tap into the aesthetics of the first album twice since it debuted shows that they are aware of the power it had over their fanbase. The drawback is that they have now lost the art of creating a cohesive album. Seemingly a result of the digital age, they have released a jumble of songs ready to be purchased singularly on iTunes. Whereas their last few albums showed the band refining their style and simplifying their formula, they have at least injected a smattering of innovation into the mix this time. It's certainly not the type of album you would sit down and take in as a whole like The Blue Album[i] or [i]Pinkerton. It’s more like the album you throw on at a party when you are sick of listening to rap music. There are still some hidden gems that will keep you coming back in the future, but let's hope that the band can pull it together for the next one and reach the potential that The Red Album only hints at.

--Dave Spak