Weezer’s “Hurley” a breath of fresh air

Since returning from a three year hiatus with 2008’s “Weezer (The Red Album)”, the alternative rock band Weezer has released two albums in two years. The first was “Raditude,” which was released on November 3, 2009. The second is “Hurley,” which was just released on September 10, 2010. Both “The Red Album” and “Raditude” had a different sound than what fans of the band were used to.

“The Red Album” had a more experimental sound; every band member had a lead vocal on a song. “The Red Album” also had the song “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn),” which is considered one of the most unusual and interesting Weezer songs to date. The six minute track is split into thirteen themes including imitations of other bands including Green Day, Nirvana, and Slipknot. Front man Rivers Cuomo called the song “the most ambitious” song he’s ever written, and his favorite. Overall, “Weezer (The Red Album)” got mixed to positive reviews and was a pretty average album with a few very bright spots.

2009’s “Raditude” had a much different sound than “The Red Album”. The album had more of a mainstream pop sound than their previous album, and front man Rivers Cuomo was the only lead vocalist on the album. One of the bigger songs on the album, “Can’t Stop Partying,” featured rapper Lil Wayne. Although “Raditude” was a pretty good album in terms of Weezer’s mainstream pop sound, it didn’t really make an impact in their career.

With two somewhat unsuccessful albums the last two years, Weezer left their old record company Geffen Records. Instead of signing with a huge record company, they decided to sign with the independent label Epitaph. The band considered self releasing their next album, or releasing it online before deciding to sign with the independent label.

“Hurley” is different than Weezer’s previous few albums because the sound of the songs compare to Weezer’s first three albums. Most fans consider that time as the prime of the band’s career, with a more alternative rock sound than the pop sound they displayed in “Raditude”. In “Hurley”, Weezer is able to blend power pop style choruses with rock riffs and Weezer’s famous unusual musical timing.

A perfect example of the interesting sound in “Hurley” is the fifth song on the album “Where’s My Sex?” The song is sort of a joke song because the song is supposed to be “Where’s My Socks?” but with the word sex instead of socks. This is done because front man Rivers Cuomo’s daughter once mispronounced socks with sex. This results in some interesting and comical lyrics because it makes sense with the word sex in there, but it makes more sense with the word socks.

If that wasn’t enough, the song also goes through a few sudden changes in tempo in the last minute of the song similar to “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)” and “Dreamin’” off “Weezer (The Red Album) that really makes the song stick out. The tongue in cheek style of the lyrics and the complexity of the music gets “Where’s my Sex” compared to many songs off their cult classic album “Pinkerton”.

“Memories” is the first single and opening track of the album. Although it is a great song the album really sets off during the second song “Ruling Me”, which is the best song on the album. The verses are driven by a strong guitar riff and a good drum beat, but it’s the incredible chorus that really makes the song stands out. The song is a perfect baby of the guitar heaviness of “Weezer (The Green Album)” and the alternative pop sound of “Weezer (The Blue Album)”.

There are a lot of other great songs on “Hurley” including the musically and lyrically unique “Hang On”, which features a partial backing vocal from Michael Cera on the songs hook. The album closes with “Time Flies”, which is a folksy acoustic song that resembles Led Zeppelin’s numerous folk songs like “Going to California” or “Gallows Pole”, or The White Stripes classic “I’m Bound to Pack It Up”.

Overall “Hurley” is a breath of fresh air from Weezer that fans have been waiting for since “Pinkerton”. The songs have less of a pop feel compared to their previous few albums, but still come up with great alternative pop hooks and choruses that garner comparisons to their first two self-titled albums. This is easily their best effort at recreating the raw sound of “Pinkerton” since the 1996 album came out, and that’s a good sign for Weezer fans.

REVIEW: Raditude (Weezer)

On November 3, 2009 the Alternative Rock band Weezer released their seventh studio album “Raditude”. A follow up to their 2008 album “Weezer (The Red Album)”, “Raditude” follows Weezer’s usual style of Alternative Rock with some pop melodies thrown in. Lead singer Rivers Cuomo does all the lead vocals for “Raditude”, but he didn’t write every song on the album.

“Raditude” might be Weezer’s most complete album, as it has something for every Weezer fan. Whether you prefer more alternative Weezer songs (“My name is Jonas”, “Hash pipe”) or pop Weezer songs (“Buddy Holly”, “Keep Fishin”) this album has something for you. It’s their best album musically since their second album “Pinkerton” and the lyrics are more humble like in their debut album “Weezer (The Blue Album)” than the confident lyrics in their sixth album “Weezer (The Red Album)”. The issue with the album is it has only ten songs, but their biggest album was only 13 songs (“Maladroit”). The usual number for a Weezer album is ten so this album is like a standard Weezer album.

“Raditude” is full of solid songs, with really no weak songs. That’s not to say every track is a number one hit, but there’s more good than bad on this album.

1. “(If you’re wondering if I want you to) I Want You To”

- The first track on “Raditude” is also the first single for the album. It’s more of a pop song than alternative, but it’s really catchy. The lyrics are more shy which is more Weezer’s style.

2. “I’m your Daddy”

- The second track is also more of a pop song with hints of rock thrown in. The lyrics are the best part of the song, as they are very catchy and understandable. In this song he talks about meeting a girl at a bar and thinking he’s in love. It’s a different style of pop compared to “I want you to”, so having them back to back works really well.

3. “The Girl Got Hot”

-The third track starts out with a very recognizable riff and Rivers saying “Woah oh oh oh” over and over. When you hear that first part you can easily picture it being in a commercial. I say that because I did see it in a commercial promoting the new season of Scrubs. It then goes into lyrics describing Rivers seeing someone he used to know many years later and she got hot. Along with talking about how he doesn’t have a chance with her and how her friends didn’t get hot this song took a few listens to really like. I liked the beginning right away, but after a couple times I came to appreciate the song as whole and it’s one of my favorite tracks on the album.

4. “Can’t Stop Partying”

- The fourth track is definitely going to be the big hit of the album. It’s not my personal favorite song on the album, but it’s got the recipe to be a hit. It was originally an acoustic song on River’s second solo album “Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo”, but for the album they sped it up and added more dance like music. The biggest draw for the song is that Lil Wayne contributed a verse. I’m not a huge Lil Wayne fan, but I really like his contributions to “Cant Stop Partying”. It takes the song from good to great. And besides that Rivers has great lyrics about his love to party. Some Weezer fans will prefer the acoustic version on River’s solo album, which I think is very good as well.

5. “Put Me Back Together”

- Following one of the biggest songs on the album is tough. But to me, “Put Me Back Together” not only one ups “Cant Stop Partying”, but it’s also the best track on the album. It features a vulnerable Rivers singing about getting dumped. He’s clearly not over it, and says when he falls down she puts him back together. I really enjoy this song because it follows Weezer’s usual vulnerable lyrics and has a catchy hook which is the highlight of the song. It’s probably not my favorite Weezer song of all time, but it is definitely my favorite song on the album.

6. “Trippin’ down the Freeway”

- After “Put me Back Together” is “Trippin down the freeway” which features a similar formula to “I’m your Daddy”, with catchy lyrics and a fun chorus. It’s a good song, but it doesn’t stick out as much as the last two tracks. It also features a fun guitar solo.

7. “Love is the Answer”

- The seventh track on the album is clearly the most unusual. It features Indian drums and hindu style music that transitions into a very catchy and memorable chorus. The song also features a verse solely in Hindu. The chorus is enough to make this a solid track.

8. “Let it All Hang Out”

- The eighth track on the album is the hardest rocking song on the album by far. It’s got a lot of heavy guitar with a catchy chorus to go with it. The lyrics talk about a Friday evening where he is so tired from the week he’s just going to meet up with his friends and let it all hang out. The heavy guitar sets the tone where “In the Mall” picks up.

9. “In the Mall”

- The ninth track on the album is also the only song on the album not written by Rivers Cuomo. Drummer Patrick Wilson wrote this one, and although it’s a good song and the strongest musically on the album, it’s overall my least favorite song on the album. It has simple lyrics talking about roaming around in the mall with a very strong drum part and the best guitar solo on the album (discluding the bonus tracks on the deluxe version). This song is fun to listen to if you enjoy Weezer’s harder rocking songs (“Undone: The Sweater Song”, most of the album “Pinkerton”), but it doesn’t have a lasting appeal to me.

10. “I Don’t Want to Let you Go”

- The closer of the album is another song that originally appeared on River’s second solo album. It’s the softest song on the albumand follows  the two loudest songs on the album. It’s very simple and to the point and kind of relates back to “Put me Back Together” because it’s about not wanting to let the girl go after they broke up. Vocals are the main focus of the song, as there’s not much going on in the background. I think it’s a perfect way to close the album, because it’s very relaxing and kind of soothes into the end.

Overall “Raditude” is a great album especially for Weezer fans. I’ve listened through it many times and even though I’m a huge Weezer fan, I think non-Weezer fans could really enjoy this album if given a chance.

Rating:

8.5/10