By George Crowley ’16, Tech Desk Editor
What do extinct Tiger Sharks, Biblical references, and Sisyphus have in common? Weezer’s latest, The White Album of course. The crazy lyrics of old Weezer are back, and hopefully here to stay.
The White Album, Weezer’s most recent release is something of a return to form for the troubled band. After the huge success of The Blue Album, and Pinkerton in the early days of the band, they seemed to struggle to find success, despite putting out some chart topping singles, like “Pork and Beans” from The Red Album. After those first few albums, the band went in a much more experimental direction, then swung too far back with Raditude, which despite it’s catch “If you’re wondering” was more pandering and an attempt to copy their first two albums than a genuine album of their own. Weezer fans will be relieved to hear that The White Album brings back both the heavy guitar characteristic to Weezers best songs, and the kooky lyrics that cause many a smile while jamming. And even with the heavy guitar, Rivers Cuomo still brings out a few excellent guitar solos to provide a bright contrast to the darker guitar lines in most songs. A few songs take on a more alt rock feel than traditional Weezer, but overall, this is an excellent return to form for Weezer, and it’s only fair they include a few more experimental tracks in the album. Aside from the determination to produce an album worthy of their first two, much of the inspiration for this album was pulled from the Beach Boys, this is most evident in “(Girl We Got A) Good Thing”, a sappy song about young love. Of course, there were more eclectic sources of inspiration; frontman Rivers Cuomo used the dating app Tinder to meet people for song ideas. Despite the multitude of inspirations, the album stays true to old Weezer, like The Blue Album, with its heavy guitars, while at the same time, taking the band in a new, refreshing direction.
The album opens with “California Kids”, a song in classic Weezer style, with heavy guitar, but a slightly more upbeat message than some other Weezer songs. The song also features the sounds of waves and seagulls, fitting in with the California theme. “Wind In Our Sail” continues the upbeat theme, singing about young love, and the ocean. Filled with references to Darwin, Mendel and more, the song on paper seems clunky, but is actually has a very smooth flow. In “Thank God For Girls”, the song explores a lot of traditionally Weezer weirdness, with a very interesting reversal of gender roles, and other weirdness (Cannolis?). “(Girl We Got A) Good Thing” is what happens when Weezer borrows from the Beach Boys-and it works surprisingly well. In a much lighter, more acoustic focused song than the rest of the album, the song again explores young love. “Do You Wanna Get High” is another more typical Weezer song, discussing drugs, and as always, women. Then comes “King of the World”, a love ballad, seemingly straight from Cuomo to his girlfriend. The rest of the album follows in a similar manner, alternating between poignant and weird; hints of Beach Boys and old Weezer. Overall the album is very good; perhaps still not quite enough to recapture the magic of the Blue album or Pinkerton. It represents a new direction for Weezer, hopefully one that is something of a return to their fantastic roots, with new themes mixed in.
Image Source: http://www.sonic1029.com/2016/01/15/watch-new-music-and-new-album-details-from-weezer/
