Weezer first shone in the post-grunge path paved by Nirvana. Now they're writing songs called 'I'm Your Daddy.'
Something's not right.
On their seventh album, entitled Raditude, Weezer seems to be actively seeking a party and invites the listener to do the same. However, the songs are not as guiltily pleasurable as they would have hoped, with many tiptoeing the line between immaturity and silliness.
The first four tracks succeed at attaining the party vibe that Weezer wants. While they don't delve into the personal subject matter that made their earlier albums classics, they are catchy. 'Can't Stop Partying' even features a guest appearance by Lil Wayne.
Lead singer Rivers Cuomo has gone through an unexplainable transformation from a shy nerd with guitar skills to a nearly 40-year-old man who sings about partying and teenage romances. His enthusiasm on the early tracks is amusing, although it is not enough to carry the rest of their release.
If Weezer kept the party theme constant throughout the album, it could have at least been amusing. Instead, at the halfway point, the album switches to a mixture of corny love songs and clunky rock numbers.
'No way, we ain't gonna break up/ We made a promise and our will won't fade out,' Cuomo sings on 'Tripping Down the Freeway.'
While it's somewhat upsetting to see a talented band like Weezer head in this direction, the record is not without some merit. The guitar work by Cuomo and Brian Bell is entertaining, and the band is as tight a unit as ever.
Weezer is known for making short albums. Still, with an album just over a half hour long, they should have made sure that each track represented the best of what they have to offer. While all of the 10 songs are tolerable by themselves, only a few are noteworthy and they hardly fit together as an album.
So go ahead, get drunk and rock out to Raditude. It's sure to be a blast.
Just remember that there was a time when Weezer was relevant.
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
