Being a Weezer fan can be difficult.
Some can’t get past the seeming perfection of the band’s 1994 self-titled debut (lovingly referred to as “The Blue Album”). Others are hung up on the grungier sound and gloriously self-deprecating lyrics of sophomore album “Pinkerton.”
Most people agree the band’s 2009 album “Raditude” was mediocre, though a guest appearance from Lil Wayne and a song mostly in Hindi definitely resonated with certain eighth graders at the time (admittedly, “OK, b****, it’s Weezer and it’s Weezy” is still a fantastic line). The five people who listened to the band’s last album, 2010’s “Hurley,” probably have strong feelings about it, too.
Weezer fans can finally breathe easy for a while, though, because after 20 years of ups and downs, the band has hit a definite hit. “Everything Will Be Alright In The End” is a triumphant return to the band’s roots — even if it falls short of some of the band's historic highlights.
Lead single “Back to the Shack” pretty accurately summarizes the band’s trials, tribulations, and triumphs. With lines like “I had to go make a few mistakes so I could find out who I am,” it's easy to visualize Rivers Cuomo re-entering his mythic 1994 garage after 20 years, blowing the dust off X-Men and KISS posters, and remembering what made Weezer so great in the first place.
On several songs, including “Eulogy for a Rock Band,” the band showcases some of its finest guitar playing in ages. The song also proves Rivers still has a tremendous set of vocal chords, as he screeches in a high falsetto.
Lyrically, the band is moving back into stronger territory. “Hurley” sported a song built entirely around the fact that the word “socks” sounds like the word “sex.” It sounded eerily like a Weird Al parody of a Weezer song, down to the hackneyed vocal delivery, except Weezer wrote and recorded it.
Now, on songs like “Cleopatra,” Rivers sounds like the grown-up version of the angsty young man who in 1996 sang “that’s just a stupid dream that I won’t realize/ cause I can’t even look in your eyes without shaking / and I ain’t fakin’, you bring home the turkey and I’ll bring home the bacon.”
Today, he sings “all the wine we tasted, all the love we made / All the strumming lyres will decorate your grave / All the ecstasy is gone gone, gone away.” This line may be a bit more refined, but it comes across with the very same lovelorn desperation.
“Everything Will Be Alright In The End” has its fair share of light-hearted moments, like mid-album track “The British Are Coming.” It also packs some serious “Pinkerton”-style heaviness and guitar shredding, particularly on the album-closing songs that make up the “Futurescope Trilogy.”
Though the overarching concept behind these songs is a bit foggy, the sea of heavy metal guitars which open “The Waste Land” are nothing short of majestic. The songs are an incredible way to end an album, anthemic and bursting with shouted backup vocals and harmonized guitar solos. The final moments of the album are a wall of feedback and fret tapping. It’s extravagant, but it’s beautifully appropriate for Weezer — brandishing an outright rejection of their previous forays into the watered-down mainstream.
“Everything Will Be Alright In The End” is an album which should delight virtually all Weezer fans, and it also serves as a decent entry point for newcomers. It’s Weezer doing what they did best and what they should have been doing all along: playing quirky, brilliant rock music.
Read More
“A Series of Unfortunate Events” is fortunately a hit
By Ellen Adams | January 18, 2017“This show will wreck your evening, your whole life and your day. Every single episode is nothing but dismay,” Neil Patrick Harris sings in the opening credits of “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” one of the latest original series from Netflix.
“Sing” hits all the right notes
By Rose Montgomery | January 2, 2017“Sing,” a star-studded animated film about melodious animals, showcases a fresh take on the classic underdog story.
Elroy Love tiptoes back
By Ian McConaughy Williams | December 18, 2016After an eight-month hiatus, Elroy Love quietly published a new single this month. The release hints at a new artistic and emotional headspace for the three-piece.
