Albums

Album Review: Weezer

[Album: “Red Album”]
[Label: Geffen]

With three eponymously titled albums (and counting), it won’t come as a surprise that Weezer can hardly be described as a pioneering band. Their latest offering the “Red Album” walks a suspiciously well trodden path. Like its predecessors the “Blue” and “Green” albums, this one is adorned with a dubious photo of the band, sparse sleeve notes and just 10 original songs on offer – slim pickings for a band who ply their trade in the world of the 3-minute pop song.

Of course, for the average Weezer fan this will be a sight for sore eyes. The eponymous Weezer albums have a rich tradition of yielding songs of absolute pop perfection and the “Red Album” is no different. Single ‘Pork and Beans’ sees Weezer at their mesmeric best, employing a trademark mix of quirky guitar work, melodic vocals and a sing-along chorus for all the family.

Better still, tracks such as ‘Troublemaker’ and ‘Everybody Get Dangerous’ suggest that Weezer have discovered a new sense of urgency in their music. Choppy guitar riffs collide with frantic vocals to ensure that the album hits the ground running as soon as it lands in your CD tray. ‘Automatic’ is reminiscent of the gritty peaks of 2002’s ‘Maladroit’ and helps balance the album nicely. ‘Dreamin’’, originally known as ‘Daydreamer’, was described by vocalist Rivers Cuomo in the liner notes to ‘Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo’ as an “epic, 6-minute, symphonic type of art song” and although it sounds similar to the Supernaturals hit ‘Smile’ it is still difficult to argue with him.

In fact it all bodes rather well until you actually hear what Rivers is singing about. His well documented love of the Rap scene (Jay-Z is apparently a favourite) manifests itself in a faux-rap lyrical content that will make even the most hardened Weezer fan wince. “I am the greatest man that ever lived” sings Rivers on the song of the same title (albeit for the shrewd omission of “I am”) with the sort of gusto you genuinely hope is paradoxical. Elsewhere Michael Jackson, Quiet Riot and Judas Priest all get mentions in the rather pointless ‘Heart Songs’.

What these lyrics actually do though is remind you that Weezer are in fact the Louis Theroux of the pop world; quiet, unassuming, idiosyncratic but ultimately a master of their art form. Yes, the “Red Album” sounds suspiciously similar to previous Weezer albums but, for a band that has built a career out of restoring (or establishing?) the credibility of power pop, an album of par standard is still light years ahead of the competition.

For fans of: The Rentals, Green Day, Ash
Band link = Weezer

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