Weezer Review: Lost With Hurley?

To say that Weezer is a band with baggage may be an understatement. However, unlike most high profile bands, this baggage comes not from internal strife or crazy hotel room antics. It comes from the fans.

Weezer's first two albums are masterpieces of popular music. As part of my Album of the Week series, I wrote that the Blue Album significantly "altered my musical awareness." That and all the other praise I heaped on it still rings true. Both it and Pinkerton are modern classics. They are rich and complex and rife with deep personal feelings. I wrote about some of that at the release of their previous album, called Raditude.

At this point, I think it is safe to say that Weezer will never record another Blue or Pinkerton. It's something that is not accepted by the old school fan base (I started listening o Weezer in 2000, before their third album, which I think makes me an old school Weezer fan), but I don't think that's who frontman Rivers Cuomo is making records for.

Whereas Weezer drew from many musical influences previously, ranging from Kiss to The Pixies and grunge, Hurley is the third Weezer album in a row with a very pronounced pop punk sound, not unlike vintage Blink-182, or All-American Rejects. While they make pretty good pop punk, in part because they add their own musical flare to it, I would welcome a return to the more diverse sounds on their pre-2006 albums.

All that aside, I am doing my best to review Hurley, named after Jorge Garcia's LOST character (or a clothing company?) without impossibly high standards. Overall, it's pretty good, and definitely better than the disastrous Red Album and Raditude.

It is definitely a middle age record. The general theme is nostalgia for fun times, when you could stay up until 3 AM and didn't have to worry about your kid at home. However, it remains mainly upbeat, and is a joy to listen to, as this is not an emotionally heavy album by any means. The lightness may be a detriment in the long run, as I can understand why Weezer are considering a tour featuring their first two albums. Not sure there are really any standout singles here. It feels a bit rushed in production, but at least modest aims lead to modestly respectable heights.

For me, the best tracks are "Ruling Me," which sounds like a lost track from the Green Album (2001), and "Trainwrecks," which also echos the same feeling. "Where's My Sex?" is quirky and cute, especially when considering it's based on Rivers' daughter mispronouncing 'socks.' "Time Flies" is sure to be the most underrated song on the album, and it may end up being my favorite. Or maybe that is just my mood right now. Time will tell.

Listen to it here.

Raditude and the Disappointing Happiness of Rivers Cuomo

There may be no band in the history of popular music more controversial among its own fans than Weezer. Most of Weezer's fans are my age or older, discovering Weezer in the wake of their 2001 album or from their first album in 1994. Among these fans and most music critics, Weezer's debut album and 1996's Pinkerton are the high points of their career. 

One of the reason for the success of early Weezer is that geeks finally had a band they could identify with. Weezer spoke to people who were outsiders in high school as peers, on their level, and in a way they understood. This trend continued into 2002's Maladroit, which while good, showed Cuomo's limits as a person on the outside. 

You see, what made Pinkerton such a later success (and the most influential album of the past 15 years) is Cuomo's heartfelt and personal lyrics. He perfectly captured the feelings of being an outsider, not being able to get the girl, loneliness, not being cool, etc. 

Flash forward to 2005's Make Believe, and "Beverly Hills." Something hand changed. Rivers Cuomo got happy. Basically, from the fans' perspective, this is a disaster. I quite like Make Believe, and I actually think it's better than Maladroit. However, last year's Red Album was an absolute disaster. Some of the songs were fun, but it was like cereal with too many marshmallows. So sweet and sacchrine, you get sick before you finish the bowl. 

And that brings us to Raditude. It is so obvious that Cuomo is a great pop song writer, and he really enjoys writing songs. However, he is only good writing in a pseudo-autobiographical manner. Given that Cuomo is married with children and seems to be really freakin' happy about it. 

Raditude is meant to be an ironic party album. The album you pop in when all your friends are drunk...ironically. It's meant for older hipsters who want to love pop but are too cool for it. Basically, if you're cool enough to listen to Weezer and can survive Miley Cyrus, this might be the greatest albums of all time. 

Moreso than their previous effort, the songs are catchy, if shallow-seeming, and the band has a much more cohesive sound. "(If Your Wandering If I Want You To) I Want You To" is my favorite song on the album, and the best song they've done in four years. Also, "The Girl Got Hot," is an excellent high school revenge fantasy when you consider that Cuomo is the girl in question. 

None of this can explain the embarrassment I feel over even listening to "Can't Stop Partying," which seems to be destined to be the new "Fight For Your Right." Expect most people to miss the point. 

Overall, I actually really enjoyed the album, but as a long time Weezer fan, I almost hate myself for liking it at all.