What made Weezer's last album, 2005's Make Believe, such a big disappointment is that much of it aimed for a trendier sound designed to appeal to teenagers. This isn't so easy to pull off when you're in your mid-thirties. Besides, the band had spent the past decade-plus making songs that appealed to both young and old. They didn't need attempts at trendiness; they needed to be Weezer.
And, three years later, be Weezer they did.
Their third self-titled album, referred to as usual by its color (red), shows the band mostly abandoning Make Believe's obvious attempts at holding onto a teenage audience. Instead they aim more toward those of us who first heard The Blue Album in our teen years. But instead of simply rehashing old sounds, the band takes their sound further, experimenting with new styles and making the end result a more mature version of the Weezer we know and love.
"Pork and Beans" brilliantly acknowledges that the band is getting on in years, as frontman Rivers Cuomo sarcastically rails against the record execs who want these rock veterans to altar their sound and appearance to appeal to trendy youngsters. This song was actually a response to their label's insistence that the band write a radio-ready hit. Angered over that slam to their integrity, Cuomo wrote silly lyrics with a serious point: he'll do whatever he wants no matter if others like it. This individualism anthem is backed by a quirky yet addictively bouncy beat and a rocking chorus, making "Pork and Beans" an immediate contender for a Weezer best-of album. Ironically, the label got what they wanted, but fortunately, so did everybody else.
The Red Album contains some of the heaviest Weezer songs in years. Opener "Troublemaker" is a rollicking number that demonstrates Weezer's penchant for writing uber-catchy hooks while ranking with "Hash Pipe" and "We Are All On Drugs" as one of the bands most hard-hitting. But you'll be turning the volume up even higher once "Everybody Get Dangerous" kicks in. It has a killer hook and a wild beat that could tear it up in the clubs even though this pure, adrenaline-pumping rock song contains not a trace of dance music. "Automatic" provides one last upbeat number; it's not as great as the others, but it works in upping the album's energy.
Despite such barnburners, The Red Album will probably be most well-known for its dives into unfamiliar waters. Easily the most experimental track is "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)." Here Weezer take six minutes to utilize as many musical styles as they can muster - rock, rap, spoken word, gospel choir - changing styles rapidly. This format is jarring and incohesive at times, but it does contain a lot of catchy parts and warrants commendation for such a bold venture. "Thought I Knew" is clearly the most different sounding because Rivers sits this one out and lets guitarist Brian Bell handle vocal duties. Bell does a great job on this mid-tempo rocker with a touch of modern Santana. The experimentalism, however, doesn't quite pay off on "Dreamin'." This track is loaded with energy, as the band delivers their most '50s-tastic pop-rocker, at least for the first two and a half minutes. After that it gets bloated; nothing too bad but enough to make you wish they had quit while they were way ahead.
Weezer also show their versatility with some softer songs like the slow but pounding "Cold Dark World" and dramatic closer "The Angel and the One." "Heart Songs" is softer than just about any other Weezer song and comes off as a tad schmaltzy, though it still works as a touching tribute to the music that shaped Cuomo's life. He demonstrates an eclectic taste, stating that "Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Slayer taught (him) how to shred," before unapologetically admitting his love for '80s pop. This all leads up to a heavier, bold finish that describes his first listen to Nirvana's Nevermind, the record that made him want to start a band.
The Red Album may not be Weezer's best, but it is a welcome change from Make Believe. Rather than lower themselves to the level of emo kids they've influenced, Weezer move their style forward, trying new things and emerging with a more mature sound. The experiments are hit or miss, but the misses aren't so far off as to detract from The Red Album's overall enjoyable nature. It's good to see Weezer once again doing all the things they want to do and doing them well.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.