Weezer: Raditude Review

Weezer is known for a couple of things. They are known as a band that has been around for a long time, a band that consistently produces pleasant music with cleverly funny lyrics, and a band that is just plain weird. Weezer delivers on all three of these characteristics with the release of "Raditude." While almost all Weezer fans will agree that the best album is still their self-titled debut "Weezer" back in 1994, but it 2005's "Make Believe" is also in contention. Most fans were disappointed with Weezer's last effort, "The Red Album," but I actually thought it was pretty decent: it was most certainly weird but it was another solid entry in Weezer's discography and contributed some great songs. This latest effort is no different, mixing humor with pleasant music with just downright weirdness. Sometimes the odd nature of the music adds to the humor and sometimes it doesn't, but I guess it just depends on the person. Rivers Cuomo sounds great and nerdy as usual, and pitches in guitar, keyboard, drums and harmonica. Guitarist Brian Bell, bassist Scott Shriner, and drummer Pat Wilson all also cover keyboard and pitch in vocals, which does give the band a better feel as a unified group. As with all other Weezer albums, the enjoyable elements outweigh any awkwardness, and it is once again worth the ride.
1. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To- Acoustic guitar and lively, upbeat drums kick this song off. Cuomo's voice matches up awkwardly with it and all the verses tend to follow suit in this fashion but the chorus is highly enjoyable and more than makes up for it. This won't be the first time oddities are overruled by more agreeable elements. The lyrics are great, attacking the typical notions of boy-making-a-move, offering a different perspective and providing a humorous background story during the verses. These guys are seriously the biggest nerds on the earth, but they are so lovable they are cool. If not for an awkward transition from verses to chorus, this would be an "extremely awesome," but as it is, it is limited to "really damn good." 9.5/10
2. I'm Your Daddy- Once again, humor and pleasant-sounding music blend to entertain any listener. The song starts with a nice little drum beat accompanied by that identifiable trademark Weezer guitar. Cuomo's vocals seem much more appropriate for these verses, and they give way to more lively choruses dominated by guitar and electric components (synthesizer) that actually add to the song in my opinion. The vocals actually pick up for the last run-through of the chorus but other than that this song is pretty straight-forward. The chorus is funny; there really hasn't been an experience for me this week quite like hearing Weezer's lead singer say "I'm your daddy." Great stuff. 9.5/10
3. The Girl Got Hot- An interesting little guitar scheme accompanied by some harmonizing "OH-WHOA-OH!"'s that are seen throughout the song really give the song a fun feel. They really testify to the non-chalant way in which Weezer can sing about anything they want and it be successful, even if this song does actually have more of a point and general focus. This song is about a beautiful, ball-busting tease, and it has an old-fashioned, fun rock feel to it. This is some really good stuff, possessing entertaining lyrics and universal accessibility, making it the best song on the album. 9.5/10
4. Can't Stop Partying- I think it's important to first note that this song features Lil Wayne and the title of the song basically gives away the main idea. This is Weezer's attempt at having one of their songs played in the club, and it's actually not bad and is kinda funny and cool. Looking at the lyrics, this really is a typical hip-hop/rap song about clubbin' and partying and being rich and all that stuff. Lil Wayne's verses are pretty sick and really lend to the song's high-rollin' high-flyin' nature. There is nothing better than a bunch of nerds gathering to sing about how boss they are at the club partying. Except maybe hearing Lil Wayne proclaim, "Okay bitch, it's Weezer and it's Weezy..." Awesome, and the second best song on the album. 9.5/10
5. Put Me Back Together- Here we see some more awkward and uncomfortable verses mixed with more enjoyable choruses and humorous lyrics (although these lyrics are funny because of how random they are rather than how clever they are) about someone's positive influence. The verses aren't too bad, having a nice, softer feel to them, but they are too repetitive for my liking. The buildup to the chorus is solid, especially when the drums and pleasant background guitar kick in. The chorus is very enjoyable except for the unnecessary synthesizer that reminds me of Motion City Soundtrack (not that anything related to Motion City Soundtrack is a bad thing, but I'm not sure Weezer should be trying to pull that off). There is an interesting high note for Cuomo near the end of the song that transitions the vocals into shakier ground, but he holds his own just fine as usual. 8.5/10
6. Trippin' Down The Freeway- This song is a very humorous take on high school sweethearts. It basically talks about being in love with one's high school sweetheart and then about "stickin' together as we're trippin' down the freeway." The song is catchy in its own right and even though I find the use of the synthesizer to be unnecessary once again, it accomplishes its goal of being a simple, agreeable Weezer song. These guys have a knack for creating fresh music to add to their list of greats, even if most of them will not have lasting significance, and this song is a great example of this. 9/10
7. Love Is The Answer- This song has a really good message even if it does kind of stray into hippy territory when it talks about love, but it's still a good concept. This is a really weird and unique song in that it has an Arabian feel to it and parts of the song are sung in Hindi. The typical odd Weezer sound of this song meshes awkwardly with the female Hindi singing and sitar. This is where one can see the awkward elements of Weezer outweighing anything good they had going for them in this song. It has a decent feel to it, and there is some decent guitar near the end but it's just too different to be enjoyable. I shouldn't feel like I'm watching Slumdog Millionaire when Weezer pops up on my I-Pod. 7.5/10
8. Let It All Hang Out- A killer atypical Weezer guitar intro grabs a listener's attention right off the bat and reassures them that they are returning to the kind of rock they are best at. This is a really great song because it doesn't get weird and stays within the realm of normal Weezer rock. The lyrics are certainly entertaining, referencing Jay-Z and talking about blowing off some steam with his "homies" for the weekend. It's a great concept and when mixed with the great guitar work and Cuomo's consistently good vocals, it really makes up for the previous song. 9.5/10
9. In The Mall- Yet again, another song about absolutely nothing; the title gives away the most complex idea of the song. I'm not exaggerating or kidding either, about 65% of the lyrics are "in the mall." This is really a shame because the guitar and drumming is solid; it would just have been really nice if there was a point behind them. The buildup to the final portion of the song is just stupid and awkward, even if it does give room for a killer guitar return when it slows down and drops off. Like I said, the guitar and drums are pretty sick, but there is absolutely not purpose here. At the very least you can rock out to the last 45 seconds of the song I suppose. 7.5/10
10. I Don't Want To Let You Go- This song is the only slow song on the album, and it really shows that Weezer can masterfully execute and enforce mature ideas when they really want to. This is a solid closer track with slightly faster verses that build up the momentum first unveiled through the lyrics about not wanting to let go and fighting to keep something good alive between you and the person you love. The deep guitar and bass are spot on, and the background vocals are pretty good for the most part, lending to the happy-yet-sad feel of the song. Cuomo's vocals are great here and Weezer closes their new, weird, and short album on a positive note. 9/10
Overall: 89/100
This is another solid entry in Weezer's discography and fulfills what seems to be the standard now for new Weezer albums: not breaking any new ground or competing for the top spot in creating something really memorable, but still managing to appease Weezer fans looking for their fix of new music. They still maintain their weird, nerdy, random, humorous, clever, and pleasant nature, and there are definitely some great songs here. Just don't be expecting the best you've ever heard from these guys. I really enjoy having something new to listen to from Weezer, but these guys have been around for awhile, and it's starting to make me wonder if when their time comes, they will go out with a bang or just create another solid but unmemorable piece of work. I just hope it's the former. Thanks for tuning in. Coming up this week will be Switchfoot and Flyleaf. Rock on.