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Weezer – The Red Album
Reviewed by Mike
There’s a thick buzz in the air as Weezer’s sixth full length release is about to drop. Will it sink to the sad Kid Rock depths of Beverly Hills, or will it remind us of the Weezer who made the classic Blue Album?
1. Troublemaker: 8.2
A fine pop song with a strong backbone. The melody and band is in synch, and come out defiant on this track in both tone and lyric, perhaps a response to the lackluster previous releases. A good start.
I picked up a guitar
What does that signify?
I’m gonna play
Some heavy metal riffs
And you will die
2. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived: 9.2
The song opens with a Springsteen-esque piano sequence followed by a sarcastic vocal that is obviously a parody of the idiotic marketing apparent in so much new music we hear on the radio. This is a humorous, rocking ode to ridiculousness along the lines of Joe Walsh’s Life’s Been Good. The song changes instrumentation and pacing quite often.
If you don’t like it you can shove it
but you don’t like it, you love it
3. Pork and Beans 9.4
Absolute classic Weezer and a return to form. Rumor has it this is what Cuomo cooked up after having an initial batch of songs rejected by the record company. Being pressed is often a good thing.
I’mma do the things that I wanna do
I ain’t got a thing to prove to you
Interesting lyrical phrase considering how the song supposedly came to fruition.
4. Heart Songs: 7.9
Cuomo rattles off cute artist references one after the other, but the song ends up sounding like MOR for most of it’s length. Even though the artist references get old and the song veers dangerously into K-Lite territory, it is saved by smacking of sincerity and a vigorous climax.
5. Everybody Get Dangerous: 4.0
Imagine the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bush having a kid. Not even Cuomo’s sense of humor can save this one.
6. Dreamin: 8.2
Strongly reminiscent of early Weezer. A catchy melody squirming in front of a wall of guitar.
The difference is this has an almost epic feel to it with a bit of psychedelia in the second half.
Teacher says I gotta learn some facts
So I can make it in the Widener Stacks
These are days that will define my life
I shouldn’t waste them on these friends of mine
7. Thought I Knew: 3.0
Help! Weezer’s been hijacked by Sugar Ray!
8. Cold Dark World: 5.0
Weezer breaks out the talk box. Unfortunately, the song just sort of plods along. There’s nothing really bad, but nothing really interesting either. The repetition of the line
Angel girl In a cold dark world I’m gonna be your man becomes fairly grating as well.
9. Automatic: 3.0
Help! Weezer’s been hijacked by a Christian rock band!
10. The Angel and the One: 7.8
The big dramatic finish. Cuomo gets serious for a bit in this mountainous, soaring song that eludes to “destiny”, “higher place”, “peace” and “magic”. Unfortunately alot of it sounds fairly forced(something that could be said for a large chunk of The Red Album).
It’s not my destiny to be the one that you will lay with
So many reasons why I have to go but want to stay here
Sometimes I want to taste but then I don’t know what I’m saying
You are the angel, and I am the one that is praying
Album Total: 6.6/10
Response Keywords after hearing the album:
fun, adventurous, pop, goofy, forced, bland, catchy, energetic
In the end, The Red Album turns out to be a bit of a conflicting record. There are flashes of brilliance, but also some pretty deep misteps. It should be a hit with long-time Weezer fans, and for those looking for several excellent pop songs for the summer of 2008. There’s no question Cuomo is still capable of crafting high quality songs when he sets his mind to it.
You can get a hard copy here:
