Last May, B. Gutierrez and I reviewed Weezer's album
, a record that I mostly enjoyed and he basically detested. Regardless, it was a fun little experiment, so with the release of Weezer's newest record
this month, it seemed natural to do it again. Like before, we'll be covering the album track-by-track, with some overall impressions acting as bookends. Read, enjoy, listen, and take a stance!
Can I start right off the bat with some intense hyperbole? I can? Okay, here goes: thank God for albums like this. It not only reaffirms Weezer as a rock & roll mainstay, but also reminds listeners of the humble brilliance that pop-rock as a genre has to offer. This album isn't another of Weezer's ploys for popularity (of which there have been many), but isn't simply a rehash of former glory either. For fans of the band and listeners in general, truly everything will be alright in the end. Here's why:
5.)
I've Had It Up To Here: Thankfully, the record picks back up with this track. A lot. Sometimes in life you hear a song and it practically
screams your name, like it was written just for you and no one else. For me, this is one of those songs. I love the initial guitar work that stutters with rhythmic funk. I love the Chili Pepperesque vocal melody, particularly in the verses. I love the faux reggae bridge. I love the
Pinkerton guitar solo with its unexpected half-time feel. I love the lyrics, which are some of the simplest, yet most astute, Rivers has put together in years. This tune is a mid-album revelation, a fireworks display of clever songwriting and instrumentation with enough spit and spirit to energize you for the record's second half. I love this song.
6.)
The British Are Coming: As much as I appreciate the
idea of this song, the awkward execution is a little hard to take. Don't get me wrong - I don't dislike this track, it's just not up to par with some of the others. The singsong melody during the verses is uninspired, and Rivers' vocals during the chorus are...painful? Maybe. However, the opening acoustic guitar lick is really neat (I dig on that Baroque pop vibe), the solo is great, and the lyrics are hilariously divine (it's hard to shake the idea that Rivers wrote this one after some botched meeting with label executives). This one's a mixed bag, and is a bit of a misstep after the perfection of the previous track. Not bad, though. Far from it. (Getting to see it performed live for the first time was pretty cool. With a crowd of thousands pumping fists and singing along, the tune feels positively vibrant.)
7.)
Da Vinci: While I fear this has a few too many
Green Album trappings, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a playful arrangement validate the track. I'm a big fan of the harmonizing vocals that smooth over the rather by-the-books melody, making it all
so much more enjoyable. I also never dreamed of hearing a pop song that uses both Stephen Hawking
and the Rosetta Stone as measures of true love. It's very funny.
8.)
Go Away: Finally, life. This one has it all - a delightful melody, terrific instrumentation, and abundant musical chemistry between the boys and their collaborators, the band Best Coast. I'm particularly fond of male/female duets, and this one delivers tenfold. Both voices intertwine with warmth and brightness (I get chills whenever they hit that high note during the chorus). Is it one of Weezer's best? Maybe, maybe not. In the very least, it's memorable and fun. Who can complain about that?
9.)
Cleopatra: THIS. IS. MY. JAM. Seriously,
this song is the perfect, three-minute rebuttal to all of the album's naysayers. Musically, lyrically, and emotionally,
Cleopatra is the continuation of Weezer's best record, 1994's
Blue Album. Listening to this song, you can't help but wonder why it isn't dominating the charts right now. It's catchy yet inventive, fun yet melancholy, bold yet familiar. The folk-pop atmosphere of the verses is sugary sweet, with a subtle harmonica laying a soft textural framework. The chorus is so inescapably Weezer, you can't help but bop your head and sing along. The bridge, though simple, is incredibly effective (it amps me up every time). A measure of 5/4 sticks its nose into every chorus, and somehow always works. Thankfully, there's another phenomenal guitar solo, this one slippery and flirtatious. Yup, I'll say it again:
this song is terrific, a perfect blending of 1994 with 2014. Truly awesome.
10.)
Foolish Father: The greatness continues with this, the album's true finale. Simple, eloquent, and unapologetic, this song tugs at your heartstrings with infinite finesse and creativity. The woebegone echos of the introduction explore some new musical territory for the band, and do a nice job translating Rivers' emotions. The lead guitar is essential to the melody, adding depth and gravity to the overall arrangement (I especially like the playful fa-do fugue in the middle). Hearing guitarist Brian Bell singing along during the final chorus is also nice. However, I most enjoy the song's conclusion. The choir singing "Everything will be alright in the end" over and over really speaks to me. I'm not sure if it's the melody, the lyrics, or what, but something about it sticks - it really
does feel like everything will be alright in the end.
11.)
The Futurescope Trilogy I - The Waste Land: Here we are - Weezer's epic, ambitious rock suite written and performed in three movements. Do I love it? Not exactly, but I like it. This first entry in the trilogy, entitled
The Waste Land, is an intriguing instrumental tune. It focuses on a single riff, one that from any other band would sound positively menacing (it's a ghastly one). However, in the hands of Rivers and company, they can't quite pull it off. It works just fine, but doesn't blow me away. Drummer Pat Wilson does a pretty solid job, but other than that, it's fairly forgettable.
12.)
The Futurescope Trilogy II - Anonymous: Conversely, this second part of the trilogy works very well. The lyrics are, um, detrimentally Weezer, but this song isn't about lyrics. Again, the focal point here is the guitar, which simmers and sings. I'm also partial to the shout-chorus near the end. This one is quite good.
13.)
The Futurescope Trilogy III - Return to Ithaka: The final installment of the trilogy is a blazing blowout of instrumental insanity, notable for its high energy and creative arrangement. In its last moments, Rivers melts some faces with a truly exceptional electric guitar flourish. With this, the album ends.
As I sit here, typing up the last of this review, I again find myself stunned by Weezer's fan base. How can you like the
Blue Album,
Pinkerton, and
Maladroit, but not
this? It's a musically diverse record that pioneers some fresh territory, but unlike albums
Raditude and
Hurly doesn't abandon Weezer's trademark style. It's a perfect blend of the old and new, a logical connection of past to present.
Seriously, I ask again:
what's up with the fans? Critics certainly like it (4 stars from
Rolling Stone, 4 stars from
AllMusic, a perfect 5 stars from the
Alternative Press), casual listeners like it, why not these guys?
...wait...I think I have an answer.
Old school Weezer fans are now well into adulthood. They remember with starry eyed fondness those first few albums (even the mediocre one...yup, the
Green Album) and stubbornly refute the new stuff. Is it hard for them to accept the maturation of a rock band because they can't accept it in themselves? Possibly. But maybe it's the other way around - with a nose to the air and a flick of the wrist, former fans may claim they have outgrown the band, that it's too juvenile, too passe. Worst of all, I've heard some fans (my pal B. Gutierrez included) who, after complaining for a decade or more about Weezer changing their style, are now complaining that they changed it back for this new album! Really? Even The Beatles attempted to do that with
Let It Be (originally titled, for obvious reasons, "Get Back")! Why is Weezer being penalized for playing music? Why can they never win, even when it all works this well?
Whatever the mindset, I simply don't understand it. Why can't a song just be a song? An album just an album? Why has this particular band been ridiculed for musical experimentation? It's something our best rock bands always do, from Led Zeppelin to the Red Hot Chili Peppers -
they change over time. Although there have been failures, I contend that
Everything Will Be Alright in the End is a success. What the hell -
Hurly is, too. Weezer has run a grueling uphill sprint since 2005's
Make Believe, with nary a compliment from a persnickety audience. It's time to lay off. I challenge jaded listeners to bring an
ounce of gratitude (or
raditude?) to a band that's put out some of the best music of the last 20 years. Revisit the records you hate: hear the emotional musicality of
Make Believe, the crackling wit of the
Red Album, the upbeat delirium of
Raditude, and the organic chemistry of
Hurly.
Like I've already made explicitly clear, this newest addition to Weezer's discography is terrific: catchy melodies, amusing lyrics, sly arrangements, and superb musicianship. With
Everything Will Be Alright in the End, the band decided to make a great pop-rock album and succeeded. Although it may concede too much to an entitled fan base, it is nonetheless well-crafted and sincere.
The music is fantastic. To judge the album based on anything else is absurd.
 |
| Weezer performing live in 2014. |
B. Gutierrez
Ten years. Ten years is how long you and I have been active (and at times obsessive) Weezer fans! Granted, that’s half as long as some people, but I don’t think we can blame our five year-old selves for that. Quite frankly, I don’t know how there are still people that have lasted the band’s entire 20 year run. Because I, for one, am done. I’m exhausted, drained, just plain tired from following this band for a decade. “I’ve Had It Up to Here,” if you will.
Let me take a step back for a minute. I think you and I can agree that the main problem with Weezer fandom is that they have hoped for a true follow up to Blue Album and/or Pinkerton for 18 years now. To the point where it’s become obnoxious. I’m as guilty as anyone here. Through that time, I feel like you’ve been a constant little pro-Weezer voice in my ear that whole time. I’ve heard you make compelling cases for various piles of crap that Weezer has pushed out over the years that were decidedly unlike their first two albums. And you know what? I was finally ready to buy into it! Wholeheartedly. The last album that gave me any sort of positive feeling whatsoever was Red. Six years ago! I was ready though, for THIS album to be the one where I finally brush off my bias towards early Weezer, put on a fresh set of ears, and just plain enjoy what it presents.
And how does Weezer thank me for this? THEY RELEASE AN ALBUM ABOUT GETTING BACK TO THE SPIRIT AND STYLE OF BLUE AND PINKERTON! Alright then, time to throw away those shiny new ears, put my jaded waxy ones back on and dive into the muck…
1. Ain’t Got Nobody- Alright, right off the bat, Rivers gives me my first bone to pick with EWBAITE (How does their most wordy album have the least to say?). Remember my big pet peeve for Hurley being the cover? Well this time it’s saying the freakin’ album title in no less than two songs! And there’s no “title track” to be found anywhere! Seriously, if I could start this song at the 11 second mark, it would be worlds better for me. Outside of that, I really don’t know what to think. I should note that, musically, most all the songs follow through on getting back to that “feel” of Blue. Lyrically, this is just a mess though. As I said, if Rivers had allowed me to listen to this album freshly, without viewing it through the lens of their early albums, I could dig on this track. Since he made it clear he wants me “rocking out like it’s ‘94” though, I have to assume he’s trying to write with the same sincerity of those first two albums. Don’t get me wrong, when I hear this I do slightly get warm fuzzies thinking of all the “problems with women” songs from Weezer’s early catalogue. When a forty-something year-old man with a wife and two children tries to evoke the same feelings from me, I just stand up and say “bullshit.” That guitar solo, though. Woo!
2. Back to the Shack- In case a good old-fashioned lead track about lady troubles wasn’t in-your-face enough, now we’re straight-up being told we’re listening to a “classic” Weezer album! Honestly, from the first time I heard this track, all the cautious optimism I had was completely drained. My first thought was “pandering” but now after several listens I’ve settled on “pleading.” Say what you may about the guitars (great) and the solo (double great), lyrically what I have here is Rivers telling me how I should be listening to Weezer. After 18 years of various levels of experimentation largely focused on to broadening his audience, Rivers is now telling me that he’s sorry, and what he’s got to offer can’t be put on sale. Fuck. That. I know you have your beef with “old school” Weezer fans, and to be fair Weezer was unnecessarily faulted for branching out stylistically many times. All fans ever asked for- Hell, all I ever asked for, though, was to know that the band I fell in love with, that made me feel feelings I didn’t know I could feel, still existed to some degree. I was appeased easier than most. I found bits of it in tracks like “Hold Me” and “Automatic” and “I Don’t Want to Let You Go” and (I would insert a Hurley track here if there were any worthwhile). I was ready to be pleasantly surprised here again, but instead I get a riff-heavy apology (?) swearing up and down that NOW the real Weezer is back, and forget all that other shit, (including one of the aforementioned tracks!) we were just kidding. And it makes me sick in a way that no amount of Lil Wayne guest spots or steaming piles like “Everybody Get Dangerous” ever could. And THAT, more than anything, is why I’m finally throwing in the towel. I’ll take my Blue and Pinkerton and selected tracks from the next twelve years and live in a cave. If that turns me from a fan to a “fan” so be it.
3. Eulogy for a Rock Band- Now that I got that out, moving on… When I was listening to this album and jotting down notes, my page for this song was pretty much blank. It was basically a lot of question marks. Is this a tribute to their inspirations? (Was “Heart Songs” not enough?) Is it a song about themselves in their twilight continuing the demand to be taken seriously from the previous song? Do I care either way? Could this song be more boring? Just a real snoozer all around. Maybe I’m just tired from my “Back to the Shack” rant, but I really have nothing substantial to say about this one.
4. Lonely Girl- Like I said about “Ain’t Got Nobody”, I’m not sure if it’s Rivers getting older, or me getting older, I just can’t relate to these songs coming from this songwriter anymore. Even when he asks in the song. (Ha! See what I did there? Actually, you might not since all these lyrics are completely forgettable) Plus, Rivers just sounds completely bored himself throughout this song.
5. I’ve Had It Up To Here- I actually find myself groovin’ to this song more than most on this album. I just don’t understand what I should take out of it. Is Rivers trying to paint himself as a victim? People didn’t like some of his songs, so now he’s just gonna do what he does and not give a crap. Am I supposed to feel bad for him? Am I supposed to think he’s a badass and consider this a defining anti-establishment anthem? Honestly, I know I come back to this over and over again, but part of the reason why I love(d) Weezer is how relatable the music was. Even well past Pinkerton. But seriously, nearly every damn song on here rings false to me. If I just wanted to listen to pop music that I only connect with on a superficial level, there are dozens of artists that do it worlds better than Weezer does.
6. The British Are Coming- Here’s a twist- I actually like this song! The string intro, the shredding solo, the inexplicable Revolutionary War lyrics? Love it! It makes no sense whatsoever and doesn’t really tie in with anything else (though I guess you could say there’s a historical arc along with “DaVinci” and “Cleopatra” if you’re reaching) but I’m okay with that! It’s a good old-fashioned palette cleanser. You can probably tell, but my palette is quite dirty at this point. I could see myself using this as filler on a Weezer mix though. And at this point that’s pretty much the highest praise I can give.
7. DaVinci- Ugh. Now we’re back to reality. I’m actually fully on board with this song up until a distinct point. I like the sentiment (I guess Rivers can still pull me in a bit), I think the chorus is neat, I’m bopping right along. Then, “I looked you up on Ancestry.com; no sign of Dad or of Mom.” No. Just no. I’m nitpicking I know, but I literally cringed the first time I heard that. Takes me completely out of the whole song. That’s not a thing. It’s not relatable, it doesn’t add to the song, it flies in the face of the chorus using all these monumental figures. It’s only in there because Rivers has an endorsement deal with said website. I’m convinced. Although, I do have to bump this song back up a few notches and give Rivers credit for not finishing “Everything Will Be Alright” with “In the End” here. That’s mad restraint he’s showing.
8. Go Away- My first draft of this review had something witty about my favorite track on Weezer’s new album being titled “Go Away”. I’m too tired now though. It’s great, and it reminds me a lot of “I Just Threw out the Love of My Dreams” which is awesome. I’m probably gonna go listen to Best Coast now and have a better time than this.
9. Cleopatra- I just don’t know. “It’s a song?” I just don’t have any criticism left in me. I’ve run out of things to write. Which is also what Rivers did when he decided simply counting by fives was acceptable songwriting. It's OKAY, I guess.
10. Foolish Father- For some reason, this song has stuck with me more than any on the album. It’s catchy, I’ll give it that. I think this feels more representative of where Rivers is right now; it comes off as genuine. See, there’s this whole adult family reconciliation angle to mine, why do we have no less than 4 songs about lady troubles? Screw that end, though. Awful. Although I guess there is some nice full circle to it being said by a mom at the beginning of the album, and by children at the end (before the suite). That’s deep, man. Blew my freakin’ mind.
11. The Futurescope Trilogy (The Waste Land, Anonymous, Return to Ithaka)- This is awesome. As you can tell, 80% of my problem with this album was lyrical, so this is super refreshing. “The Waste Land” is a killer build-up, I actually enjoy most the lyrics in “Anonymous” and “Return to Ithaka” is a good closer. A few things: LOVE (hey, hey, hey, hey!) in “Anonymous” but “Now I know what to call you” is pretty much a nothing line. I do heartily appreciate “Ithaka” melting my face off to close the album.
When I unload all my Weezer baggage and just take this in, it’s not a bad album. I’d put it firmly outside of the top 5, though. It doesn’t offend me in the same way as “Hurley” did, and it’s not “Make Believe” levels of forgettable. I just wish that they didn’t make this so blatantly tied to their identity. Maybe if the next Weezer album isn’t about being Weezer, I'll think about giving them another shot. For now though, I’m just washing my hands of this whole mess. I don’t have the cognitive ability to rock out to music this meta.
2.) Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance): Wow. Just...wow. Birdman is a film that defies all aesthetic, intellectual, and cultural conventions. Starting with a smattering of letters (one of which briefly reads "amor" - Spanish for "love") and ending with an impossible sunrise, this is a film of the highest quality, caliber, and order. About a failing actor's attempts to write, direct, and star in a Broadway play, the film is a tightly paced nightmare - a claustrophobic, clamoring thing that claws away at the viewer's senses. Digitally edited to give the illusion of one continuous shot, director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu spins the tale of actor Riggan Thomson with authority and finesse. In the lead role is the grand Michael Keaton, who gives this character depth, clarity, and madness. In fact, all the performances are superb, especially Emma Stone as Riggin's strung-out daughter and Edward Norton as a terrifyingly pretentious actor.
I hate to laundry list all of the film's best attributes (I just scribbled out fifteen frickin' reviews, and I feel like now that I've arrived at number one, the format is getting stale), but I can't think of any other way to tackle it. There's so much to love, and I fear a few too many authorial tricks would be distracting. Best to keep this simple, direct, and to-the-point. So here we go.
