The return of Weezer? Kinda, sort of
Love them or hate them, Weezer is a band that certainly divides
people. They are a classic band from my youth and songs like
”
Say it Ain’t So
”
and
”
Buddy Holly
”
are great alternative rock songs that helped shape music in the
’90s.
Too bad the ’90s seem so far away now.
The return of Weezer? Kinda, sort of
Love them or hate them, Weezer is a band that certainly divides people. They are a classic band from my youth and songs like “Say it Ain’t So” and “Buddy Holly” are great alternative rock songs that helped shape music in the ’90s.
Too bad the ’90s seem so far away now.
They are fun, loud and undeniably unafraid to show their true colors – no matter how immature they are.
But that is the thing that gets me about them. It’s fine to sing about kissing girls or finding girls to sleep with but at one point, as a songwriter, you have to grow up.
For all the things Weezer lead singer and songwriter Rivers Cuomo does right – growing up is an idea he never seems to grasp. He, at times, represents a child that just happens to be 40. Yes, he is 40.
And then there are the gimmicks. Three albums simply called Weezer and only identified by their color. Their last album, named by The Office’s Rainn Wilson, Raditude was released alongside the band’s own-branded Snuggie. And their newest gimmick tries to apply to the geek in all of us.
Weezer’s eighth album is called Hurley and on its cover is a close up of a happy and jolly Jorge Garcia, otherwise known as LOST’s Hurley. Oh, Weezer is also releasing a clothing line on – Hurley.
So one has to wonder what is the purpose of the album? Like Raditude, most of the album’s songs are co-written by people that are not involved with the band, and like that previous album almost all the prerelease discussion seems to focus on things other than the music.
Using an actor of Garcia’s nature obviously goes after a certain audience – mine, really. Honestly, the Garcia gimmick worked for me. LOST is my favorite show, and because the album gives a reference to the show – it’s a must listen for me.
And as much as I loathe Weezer now because of its degrading musical intelligence into simple dumb pop songs like “I’m Your Daddy,” “Pork and Beans,” and “Beverly Hills” – I’m still intrigued by Garcia’s hopeful grin.
Luckily, the music is surprisingly not that bad. It doesn’t touch the Blue Album or Pinkerton in musical audacity or maturity but it is the best thing they’ve put out since.
From the album’s first musical note, you can sense the band is pining for those days of the past. “Memories” is an obvious a song steeped in the idea of remembering.
“Memories make me want to go back there, back there/ All the memories make me want to go back there, back there/ All the memories, how can we make it back there, back there/ I want be there again,” Cuomo sings.
It’s a throwback song that goes back to the formula that made them so successful in the first place. The guitar and drums chug and Cuomo’s vocals allow the chorus to explode. It’s their best song in a long, long time.
The second track ups the tempo even more.
“Trainwrecks” has a wonderful building chorus and breakdown – it’s one of Weezer’s better love songs.
“It’s the story of my life/ trainwrecks,” Cuomo sings.
For the first few songs on the album, it seems like a surprising rebirth of good, rocking Weezer. For the most part that stays true, except for two songs that almost destroy everything the album built.
The songs “Where is My Sex?” and “Smart Girls” are just bad pop songs that are simply there to sell to the MTV crowd – and they certainly will. The lyrics come from the mouth of a 13-year-old minded Cuomo who has just discovered the idea of women.
“Where is My Sex?” is a song with a groove that fits with Weezer singles of the last 10 years – mostly the aforementioned “Beverley Hills.”
“Smart Girls” plays like a song that wants to have a meaning but really it is just another song about Cuomo acting like an adolescent teenager.
“Where did all these smart girls come from/ I don’t think that I can choose just one/ Where did all these smart girls come from/ someone tell me how to get me some,” Cuomo sings.
Despite those two songs, Weezer is back, somewhat, to its roots. They aren’t a band that will ever be considered smart, but for the first time since the mid ’90s, Weezer has crafted an album of good pop-rock songs.
It’s not anything special but for the first time in 10 years I can say a Weezer album isn’t bad – and for me, that’s enough.
Connor Ramey can be reached at
cr****@sv**********.com
. Send him ideas for albums, local bands or musical events.
