Weezer (The Red Album)
Weezer
Reviewed By :
Shreena Soomarah |
 |
After 2005's Make Believe, it seemed unlikely that Weezer would make another album, with singer Rivers Cuomo rumoured to be moving to Japan to become a family man, and even saying that, for the time being, they were done.
But this was old news - the band had gone on hiatus several times before, only to return with energetic albums and worldwide tours, the last with the now-notorious Foo Fighters. The fruits of this latest break have - yet again - been pre-empted by comparisons to their Green and Pinkerton records, widely accepted indie classics among their converse-clad peers. Fans anticipated a deeper, more cerebral album; something that would surpass its predecessors.
In fact, The Red Album, while neither as tortured as Take Control, nor happy-go-lucky as Buddy Holly, still bears the signature sound of this pop-rock-emo(yes) outfit. This record screams fun, with an underlying sense of purpose and venom in the desperate gasps and urgent guitar riffs that abound throughout. "When it's party time/Like 1999/I'll party by myself because I'm such a special guy", Cuomo hisses in Troublemaker, expressing the coolness in the uncool that won "The Weeze" their fans. It is an hour of punch-your-clasped-fist-in-the air tracks, perfectly timed for summer, with just enough edge to vent some anger.
Indeed, it is a signature Weezer record. Those hoping for something "epic" should probably take the time to remember what made them fall for this band in the first place. This record is indeed for the thinking man – but on his day off, on an island in the sun.
Browse our directory and buy now