Rockin' Our Turntable: Weezer

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 3, 2009 5:00PM

We've decided to cease apologizing for Weezer. The band is what it is. If you're looking for Rivers Cuomo to ever attain the heights of Pinkerton or The Blue Album you're always going to be sorely disappointed. And Jesus if the man doesn't make it hard to even enjoy his music when he throws garbage like Weezer Snuggies and duets with Kennny G into the mix.

But we prefer to differentiate between marketing and music, and Cuomo has always had an uncanny gift for pulling hooks out of the air and injecting them between guitars, drums, basslines, and synths to create earworms that burrow in and won't let go. Sure, the band's output has become workmanlike, and in fact we tend to view them the same way we view their contemporaries The Foo Fighters; both bands create reliable tunes that are going to go over with the masses while disappointing purists. So be it.

For the most part Weezer's new album, Raditude, delivers solid songs we still find ourselves humming long after the album has stopped spinning. Standouts like the slowly building "Put Me Back Together" and the briskly captivating "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" are genuine joys to listen to. Which helps counterbalance absolute garbage like the unlistenable drivel of "Love Is The Answer" or the full band version -- including the inexplicable L'il Wayne appearance -- of "Can't Stop Partying." In fact "Can't Stop Partying" might perfectly outline what it is about Cuomo that drives so many longtime fans insane. The track began as a demo that saw the light of day courtesy a solo album, and in that context the tune was a sad, affecting rumination of being stretched thin by the nightlife. The same tune, fleshed out by overwrought production and a full band comes across as a tone deaf bling and flash anthem. It's painful to hear the difference between the two.

So there you have it, if you don't mind picking and choosing a few tracks and deleting the rest, Raditude can be shaped into a pretty, er, rad and light little pop album. If you're looking for anything more, though, don't bother, because this is not the savior of Weezer's past fans seem to continue to believe will one day come. It ain't.