I’ve actually had this album since the day it came out – one of the few I actually bought this year. So why did I wait so long to write it up? Probably because I wanted to forget most of it and forget my midnight trip to Bullmoose ever happened.
Well, wait. This album is really only half bad. It may not even be their worst, but the way Weezer has evolved, it was never bound to be their best. This evolution has some positives – the contributions in singing and songwriting from the other three members, as often as they fall flat, are a bold and commendable departure from the perception of “Rivers Cuomo and the Weezers” we all know. Not to mention, the sheer scope and ambition of some songs, like the epic “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations On A Shaker Hymn).” This same bombastic approach, however, backfires on “Dreamin’,” which starts out with a promising pop-rock front end and eventually degrades into a steady build that leads only to disappointment.
Of course, by now we’re all familiar with the singles from this album, “Pork and Beans” and “Troublemaker,” and rightfully so. They’re great pop songs and both great examples of why we loved old Weezer in the first place and why we still tolerate new Weezer. But for the most part, they’ve put their best foot forward. “Heart Songs” is strangely likeable, but stale cheese no matter how you slice it, and “Everybody Get Dangerous” is the evil twin to “Beverly Hills” (as though it could have gotten worse).
The album’s biggest offense is the deluxe tracks. They’re not bad – just the opposite; they’re leaps and bounds better than half of the official tracklist. “Miss Sweeney” is the best song Weezer has released in 10 years, yet somehow, it was excluded. A crime against humanity if there ever was one.
Overall: 3.5/10
