Weezer - Weezer (Red Album)

Not bad, but it could be a lot better.

I've always been interested in Weezer, I mean, a bunch of nerdy white guys singing songs about being nerds, and love. It's great fun. But, Weezer have released several albums up to this point, some of them excellent, some not, and the initial interest is starting to wear off. I'm not so interested in them just because of what they look, and sound like, and it's getting to the point where they actually need to write a good batch of songs to keep my interest. Saying Blue Album is Weezer's best and Maladroit is their worst, Red Album is right in the middle. There are some good songs, a bunch of ok ones, and a few I don't care for. It's just another typical Weezer album...but that's why it's not that great. If Weezer wants to keep interesting they need to go somewhere else. Now, if you want some similar sounding (but better) music, check out Rivers Cuomo's "Alone" album, it far surpasses this latest Weezer effort. November 17, 2008

A little perspective please

Given the schizophrenic character of the Red Album, I can definitely understand why this album is getting heaped with both golden praise and vicious scorn, but I think neither are particularly deserved.

From a Weezer perspective, this is a very weird, and presumably transitional, album full of both hits and misses. Unlike their previous albums there is no overarching feel to the record. Let's face it, you can tell a Pinkerton song or Green Album song just by the sound of it, and the same goes for every other Weezer disc. Whether you like them or not, each Weezer album was very self-contained; this album is all over the place.

For me, that's a good thing--a sign that this band is really looking to push itself forward and is absorbing influences from all over the musical map. However, that comes with a price: some of the experiments just aren't going to work (see "Heart Songs" and "Cold Dark World" as prime examples)

Are the lyrics kinda dumb? Yeah, but then what on God's green Earth is Blue Album classic "My Name is Jonas" about, and is really there anything here as silly as "Surf Wax America"? Additionally, Rivers clearly has his tongue firmly in cheek through many of these songs: "Everybody Get Dangerous" is really quite funny if you listen to the words.

The most important thing is that the band seems positively invigorated on this album compared to Make Believe, which is not terrible but really feels like it was churned out by a Weezer computer. The band just sounds like it's having fun on "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived", and "Pork and Beans" might be the best song they've put out since Pinkerton (face it, the guitar on the chorus hits like a sledgehammer compared to any other pop song I've heard in ages).

So, let's put the hyperbole down and take the Red Album for what it is: a tentative step forward that should have enough really excellent tunes to satisfy most fans but is neither a return to mid-90s form nor a dip in the gutter. Definitely give it a try, just be prepared to edit that playlist a bit. Besides, how many other big bands out there do you know that can pretty much guarantee at least five great songs per album? October 29, 2008

All Along the Rainbow...

It is another year and the influential band known as Weezer releases another color coded album, this time we have red. The colored albums are more similiar to each other than any of the bands other releases. We have the familiar pop/rock craft from Rivers & company, only this time it is more experimental and not as straight ahead. Is that a good thing though? Well, with "The Greatest Man that ever Lived" it shows experimentation can go a long way, on other tracks it is more of a strike than a homerun. "Everybody Get Dangerous" is just silly and juvenile, now that may be the point, but seriously how old is the band now? Do they really need to squeeze this track on this otherwise good album? It's the choices like these that can make or break an album. The band does hint at past glories with the excellent "Troublemaker", "Pork and Beans", and "Dreamin". Weezer have been together for over 15 years, and I applaud the democratic approach to songwriting. We have Brian Bell, Pat Wilson, and Scott Shriner taking lead vocals on three of the ten tracks on Red. Sadly, only the Brian Bell penned "Thought I Knew" works. It sounds like it could be a scenery setting song in any Farrely Brothers Movie, give it a listen and you will know what I mean. The album closes with "Angel and the One" which happens to be a fitting closer. I'm not sure what else Weezer can do with future albums, if they decide to do so. It seems at this point, the well has been tapped dry. Here's to hoping they have another classic in them, something the fans have been craving since the pop/rock gem "Green" album was released. September 13, 2008

The Great Sound of Weezer is Back

It's been since 2005's Make Believe that we've gotten music from the LA faves Weezer and now they return with another self-titled release this one referred to as The Red Album. We had the Blue Album and The Green Album in the past which I loved and underground alternative rock fans loved as well. So after Make Believe it seemed the band was dying down and due to comments made by the band and singer Rivers Cuomo in interviews, I wasn't sure if they were going to remain together or go off with their own side projects like they've done in the past, but now they come forth with The Red Album.

I love the energy of this album because it brings back the fun and quirky nerdi-ness that got you to fall in love with Weezer in the early 1990's. It features songs like "Troublemaker" and "Everybody Get Dangerous" along with a rendition of EMF's "Unbelievable" (which we all remember, unfortunately). I especially love the first single "Pork and Beans" because it is classic Weezer. So again this album brings back the great sound of Weezer that was lost for a while but now has returned. September 10, 2008

The weezer we all use to love

i call this the cd that finally sounds like the weezer i fell in love with back in high school. If you were like me and really lost your love of this band after Pinkerton then this cd is for you. It's fantastic and Angel and the one is so like only in dreams in the that feel that you should fall in love all over again.

If you ever listen to me on anything it's giving this cd a try. September 9, 2008

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