Weezer
(red album)
(hear it)

Weezer's new album is essentially a 4 song EP in which Rivers Cuomo describes and declares his awesome position in the heavens of rock and roll. Then there's a couple of classic-type Weezer songs, I like to think of them as intended to make young people feel normal. Then the last four songs are another EP, in which a fledgling band hasn't figured out which one of them can write songs yet. The two songs not written by Cuomo are not exactly filler, but are just the sort of songs that people write when they're in a band that plays "originals" not "covers". It's interesting to hear, but confusing.

Cuomo: "C'mon guys, you're members of this band too!"
Other guys: "Oh, I don't know, man..."
C: "Really... Your songs deserve a place on the record, you work so hard on them."
OG: "No really, I wrote that one like 6 years ago on the back of a napkin!"
C: "Well I just don't feel good about writing all the songs on the records."
OG: "OK, buddy, I love you."
C: "Oh man, I just love you guys too. Now lets go make a record!"

In the end, the CD is a glorious return to what Weezer did to put itself into my head in the first place. Huge, rock, funny, kind.

Actually a lot of records tend to work as a 4 song EP followed by the rest of the stuff. In reality, I don't know if we can really pay attention to much more than that. You say the message, you get out of the way. Then make a new one.

bb, 11 Jun 08