Weezer Hurley Epitaph Records Release Date: September 10, 2010
Here we go again.Since 2008, Weezer has almost seemed like Weezy with their uncharacteristically prolific release of music: Hurley represents their third LP in the last three years, with a fourth album of unreleased tracks (Death to Fake Metal) due in November.This would typically elicit excitement from any normal fan.However, the more typical response would probably be uncertainty and curiosity.2008’s self-titled effort (The Red Album) and 2009’s Raditude were both exercises in mediocrity, featuring solid albeit straightforward singles sitting side-by-side with sloppy, groan-inducing songs.Hurley, featuring perhaps the greatest album cover of the year, seemed poised to continue this trend.In recent years, Weezer has seemed more proficient at making internet memes and lame jokes than at making music.Most fans (myself included) put up with this auditory debauchery in hopes of another album analogous to their first three or four.For once, fear not: Hurley is the first Weezer album since 2002’s Pinkerton that makes me not want to punch myself in the face.
Packaged with that lovely close-up of Jorge Garcia, Hurley more or less follows Weezer tradition of delivering ten, non-related injections of power-pop.This time around, however, there is not that repetitious stench of lack of effort.Most of the songs seem well-polished and not utterly inane.As usual, the lead single, “Memories”, is an exemplary illustration of their ability to create an irresistible sing-along that is also funny, as it humorously details the band’s antics when they first began.The distinguishing characteristic of their eighth LP is the presence of multiple, slower jams that actually deliver with seemingly relative ease.“Hang On” is one example, featuring Michael Cera on backing vocals and mandolin, but the clear-cut standout is the closer “Time Flies”.Definitely a leap out of their stringent comfort zone, the song features a grainy, lo-fi sound and a country/folk feel, almost reminiscent of Led Zeppelin.
The only song that really continues the recent trend of infuriating inanity is “Where’s My Sex?”, a mind-numbingly straightforward, chugging tune about the near-homonymic nature of the words “socks” and “sex”.Mind you, frontman Rivers Cuomo is a Harvard graduate.Knock it off.
Other than this minor misstep, and the general lack of cohesion of the album, the sheer improvement of quality of each individual song more than makes up for these flaws.Any Weezer fan who has been reluctant to bother with their recent work should come out of the woodwork: Hurley is definitely a step in the right direction.
Weezer
Raditude DGC/Interscope
Release Date: November 3, 2009
It is on the verge of unthinkable that Weezer have been strumming power chords in our eardrums for fifteen years now, but alas it is the case. The Blue Album and Pinkerton seem eons ago, two albums that forever cemented Weezer’s importance in the music landscape for the time: The former an exercise in memorable, near-perfect power-pop, the latter a sophomoric seismic shift in sound dismissed by many initially, but later rediscovered as a cult classic and the potential ground zero for the birthplace of that genre they call “emo.” The 21st century hath wrought a grab bag of efforts by the band, from downright awful (Make Believe) to passable (last year’s The Red Album) to decent (Maladroit and The Green Album). With all of the frustrations that have come, every new Weezer album is still an exciting possibility for the prospect of a return to glory, or perhaps the unthinkable: Artistic development. Instead, we have Raditude, one of the most frustrating to decipher, polarizing albums of the year.
Maybe I’m simply reading between the lines too much. Maybe I so desperately want to find legitimacy in Raditude. I’m not entirely sure, but this is what Rivers and Co. have provided us this year: Ten tracks of mostly typical, mostly simplistic power-pop from the guys who basically own the blasted hyphenated subgenre. Rivers Cuomo is a damn Harvard graduate, yet instead of lyrical masterpieces, we get some of the most vacuous content this side of the Top 40. To recap thus far: Nothing groundbreaking.
Negative much? Well, here’s where the frustration starts to come into play. It is no secret that Cuomos loves pop music, and it would be ridiculous to think the power-pop sound of Weezer would just up and go away. That being said, going into the album cognizant of this, Raditude is pretty up to par. In fact, it is pretty sharp. The lengthily-titled “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” is a fantastic example of this, pulling out all the stops to deliver a quite humorous tale of teenage romance (I mean, look at the title), all set to foot-stomping drums, light and breezy guitar strumming, and an effectively infectious chorus. The overwhelmingly emotional inability to pull the proverbial trigger has never seemed so fun and funny.
After this, the opening track, things get a little less certain except for one simple fact: Almost every song immediately sticks with you. Power-pop tends to do that. The song titles and subject matter are a bit questionable at best (“The Girl Got Hot”? “In The Mall”?), but amidst all of this simplicity and borderline inanity is some humor and some legitimate humming to be had. “Put Me Back Together” is a halfway decent attempt at sincerity without sounding too cheesy or forced, as is the apropos closer “I Don’t Want To Let You Go”. There are no major attempts at grandiose this time around (à la “The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived”) but Weezer dared to try something different by doing something that literally every current musical artist in existence has done: Have a song featuring Lil’ Wayne. The result is “Can’t Stop Partying”, a definite head-scratcher to say the least. Obviously, there is some sarcasm and irony being thrown at us, but it’s not like it’s even that amazing. On the other hand, I can’t get the damn song out of my head. Catchiness should never, ever be mistaken for quality, but maybe at the very least this can be considered a hyper-guilty pleasure. The only other break from the typical is “Love Is The Answer”, what with its Indian influence on a slow jam that sounds like something U2 might do in ten years. The cheese factor is too great to ignore here. To recap thus far: A few legitimate good Weezer-type songs, some okay ones, and a few groan-inducing ones. Or, nothing surprising.
The whole mindfuck comes into play when the following is considered: Is this all a joke? Is there something bigger at play here? We are hearing a near-40-year-old man sounding like a pubescent boy on half of these tracks, using words like “homie” that when you hear them, it is all too reminiscent of that one older relative that tries too hard to be hip and fly, too, son. Is there some riding metaphor here or is this just pathetic? Is this actually album through the lens of a teenage boy? Considering the artwork, the lightning-bolt album title font, the album title itself and its songs, it would not be a shocker. Better yet, is this an album of an über-intelligent middle-aged man realizing his dissatisfaction with the prospect of his newfound outlook on life, and the only way he can cope is to act and think like a child? That would certainly put a hell of a spin on it.
Whatever it is that I can’t put my finger on, this album just doesn’t seem like a big “fuck you” to its listeners. It just feels like there is something more than meets the eye. In the end, it has me coming back to it again and again. There is something to be said for that ability of an album. Raditude can be thought of as a complete entity way more than Weezer’s past efforts, at the very least. It might not be spectacular, it might not be the most sonically or lyrically complex album this year, and it might not be easy to defend, but dammit…it is a decent slice of, dare I say, fun, something Weezer always seem like they’re having. Put it on with the right set of mind and enjoy some solid pop jams and a few laughs.
Weezer - "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" - YouTube
Raditude. Seriously ... Raditude. I don't know whats harder to believe, the fact that Weezer actually decided that Raditude was a solid title or the fact that they got the title from the dude who plays Dwight on The Office. Probably the first one.
Anyways, even when considering the album title and the Red Album, I gotta admit that I'm kinda lookin forward to their quasi-anticipated seventh offering. The reason being their new single "(If You Are Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To." Once again, awkward title but all-in-all the track is a pretty solid pop song. In my mind, quite a bit better than anything off of Make Believe. Check it.
The ridiculously named album should be makin' waves, for good-or-worse, on October 27th.
Weezer
