WEEZER (The Green Album)
Weezer
(Universal)
RATING: Three and a half
Who says geeks can’t be rock stars? Weezer proved that the checkered-pants-wearing set could make as good a rock band as any flannel-swaddled punk from Seattle. Their early hits “Undone (The Sweater Song)” and “Buddy Holly” were just on the softer side of punk—catchy enough to make it to mainstream radio, but arcane enough to make them classics for the Internet crowd. If you needed any more proof of their geek appeal, you need only to load Microsoft 98 into your computer, and watch their video for “Buddy Holly” play as one of the two demo videos for the Microsoft Media Player.
Now, as the world finds itself in the middle of the Internet downturn, Weezer join the rest of the geek community in wishing for a return to the grand old days of the early 90s. Their third album is a return to their roots in more ways than one: also self-titled like their debut (although this release is also referred to as The Green Album), 2001’s Weezer moves away from the harder edge that informed Pinkerton, their second album, and comes back to the punk-tinged pop that made them stars in the first place.
Weezer is filled with radio-friendly singles, many of which sound like they could be hits. Their first singles, “Hash Pipe” and “Island in the Sun” have, as I write this, peaked on the radio charts, but there are many more among the album’s 10 tracks that could step up and continue the album’s hitmaking run. While the paranoid “Hash Pipe” and the easygoing “Island in the Sun” might seem like they’re from the opposite sides of the spectrum, there really isn’t much of a spectrum here. Not that it’s a bad thing. Weezer’s sound—mostly fun, deceptively lighthearted pop tunes sharpened by the band’s caustic guitars and Rivers Cuomo’s keen lyrics—holds through throughout the span of the album, and the result is a wonderfully listenable CD that spins out faster than you’d like it to.
The album starts out big, with “Don’t Let Go,” which all but wears a sign that says “Attention: I am a pop hit.” It has all the elements: a catchy beat, big sounds, easily memorable lyrics, and a bit about unrequited love. The band is at its most upbeat on “Knock-down Drag-out” and “Simple Pages,” and here the collision of their Green Day and Beach Boys tastes shows through clearly. And even on tracks like “Photograph,” “Smile,” and “Crab,” where the mood is decidedly darker and the tone darker, the band can hardly suppress their impish glee.
It’s easy to see why Weezer decided to go back to their roots. Their last album, the Pinkerton, was a commercial disappointment despite the appeal of its singles, “Pink Triangle” and “El Scorcho.” Many directly attributed the album’s failure to its less accessible, more arcane sound; so who can blame Weezer for courting its old fan base with a more successful formula? The Weezer fan community is of two minds about this: about half like the return to the band’s old sound, but the other half are crying, “Sell out!” Me, I don’t care either way. I liked the tongue-in-cheek pop of Weezer, and appreciated the experimentation of Pinkerton. The Green Album shows just another facet of this great geek band, and so far, I haven’t been disappointed by anything they’ve had to offer.—Kristine Fonacier
(Universal)
RATING: Three and a half
Who says geeks can’t be rock stars? Weezer proved that the checkered-pants-wearing set could make as good a rock band as any flannel-swaddled punk from Seattle. Their early hits “Undone (The Sweater Song)” and “Buddy Holly” were just on the softer side of punk—catchy enough to make it to mainstream radio, but arcane enough to make them classics for the Internet crowd. If you needed any more proof of their geek appeal, you need only to load Microsoft 98 into your computer, and watch their video for “Buddy Holly” play as one of the two demo videos for the Microsoft Media Player.
Now, as the world finds itself in the middle of the Internet downturn, Weezer join the rest of the geek community in wishing for a return to the grand old days of the early 90s. Their third album is a return to their roots in more ways than one: also self-titled like their debut (although this release is also referred to as The Green Album), 2001’s Weezer moves away from the harder edge that informed Pinkerton, their second album, and comes back to the punk-tinged pop that made them stars in the first place.
Weezer is filled with radio-friendly singles, many of which sound like they could be hits. Their first singles, “Hash Pipe” and “Island in the Sun” have, as I write this, peaked on the radio charts, but there are many more among the album’s 10 tracks that could step up and continue the album’s hitmaking run. While the paranoid “Hash Pipe” and the easygoing “Island in the Sun” might seem like they’re from the opposite sides of the spectrum, there really isn’t much of a spectrum here. Not that it’s a bad thing. Weezer’s sound—mostly fun, deceptively lighthearted pop tunes sharpened by the band’s caustic guitars and Rivers Cuomo’s keen lyrics—holds through throughout the span of the album, and the result is a wonderfully listenable CD that spins out faster than you’d like it to.
The album starts out big, with “Don’t Let Go,” which all but wears a sign that says “Attention: I am a pop hit.” It has all the elements: a catchy beat, big sounds, easily memorable lyrics, and a bit about unrequited love. The band is at its most upbeat on “Knock-down Drag-out” and “Simple Pages,” and here the collision of their Green Day and Beach Boys tastes shows through clearly. And even on tracks like “Photograph,” “Smile,” and “Crab,” where the mood is decidedly darker and the tone darker, the band can hardly suppress their impish glee.
It’s easy to see why Weezer decided to go back to their roots. Their last album, the Pinkerton, was a commercial disappointment despite the appeal of its singles, “Pink Triangle” and “El Scorcho.” Many directly attributed the album’s failure to its less accessible, more arcane sound; so who can blame Weezer for courting its old fan base with a more successful formula? The Weezer fan community is of two minds about this: about half like the return to the band’s old sound, but the other half are crying, “Sell out!” Me, I don’t care either way. I liked the tongue-in-cheek pop of Weezer, and appreciated the experimentation of Pinkerton. The Green Album shows just another facet of this great geek band, and so far, I haven’t been disappointed by anything they’ve had to offer.—Kristine Fonacier
posted by Kristine F. | Saturday, September 01, 2001
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