Ropeadope

Lead singer Rivers Cuomo and his band of Weezers have yet to really do anything that impressive since the days of The Blue Album and Pinkerton. Their material has ranged from "not bad" to "abysmal failure" (the latter phrase directed mainly toward the abortion that is 2005's Make Believe).

But Weezer is back in the game with their sixth studio album, which will be referred to from here on in as The Red Album. This album marks a period of experimentation for the band and partly a return to the Blue dynamics that made them so popular to begin with.
The first single "Pork and Beans" was apparently written by Cuomo after being told he needed more commercial-friendly music on the record. Well, not only is it commercial friendly, it's probably one of the strongest tracks on the record. It packs a catchy-as-hell refrain with silly lyrics that almost make it seem that (gasp!) Cuomo is having fun again.  (Watch the video here!)

Another interesting cut is the 6-minute "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" which has drawn more comparisons to Queen and Brian May than is healthy for one band to take. Regardless, this song might be one of the most interesting pieces of music that Weezer has crafted in its lengthy career. It traverses so many musical landscapes; there's even a marching rhythm and a choir section at one point. But at its center, this song sports an infectious melody that, like "Pork and Beans," will remind longtime Weezer fans of The Blue Album. And that's definitely a good thing.

But while maybe half of the songs on this album are exceptional, the other half seems to just be filler. One song seeming like an advertisement for Brian Bell's side project The Relationship ("Thought I Knew" features Bell on vocals and he sounds like a tad like Elvis Costello but, unfortunately, this song doesn't fit on a Weezer album at all).

This new album certainly isn't trash but it suffers from starting out great and fizzling out as the record progresses. It might be better to view this as a really outstanding EP rather than another mediocre Weezer LP. Die-hard Cuomo enthusiasts eager for a perfect Weezer album like Blue or Pinkerton would be better off with that rationale to retain their sanity.