Weezer – Raditude

Review by Justin Lebb

Forget anything you know about time.  Disregard anything “Doc” Brown ever said about needing 1.21 gigawatts of power in order to go back in time.  Ignore Stephen Hawking’s theories.  All you need to know is that Rivers Cuomo has basically managed to preserve time through his simple, yet effective music.

In Raditude, Weezer has managed to continue their trend of manufacturing easy-to-build pop songs that are nice on the ears and warm on the soul.  From the first listen, it really doesn’t sound all that different from their previous efforts, but the second listen is where Rivers really shows his fangs blunt teeth for eating vegetation.  I should note that I was throughly disgusted with the Red album.  From start to finish, I could not understand why Weezer released those songs.  It was almost like they took crap from Make Believe, the album before Red, remixed it and packaged it as new.  Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me because what modern band releases 5 albums in 8 years?

Yet, Raditude is different.  Through the music on this album, I am somehow transported back to when I was 12 and I saw the Buddy Holly video for the first time.  It makes me think of Weezer when they were simple and perfect.  Song topics regarding crushes on girls, hanging with friends and the timeless struggle with love.  This is the music that will probably play during my 40th anniversary party (fingers crossed).  Absolutely timeless, yet it can take you back to a simpler time.  Then Lil’ Wayne comes in……….

On Track 4, Can’t Stop Partying, “Weezie” decides to come in and interrupt my trip back to adolescence.  I applaud efforts to combine genres and expand the horizons of close-minded lovers of power pop, but I don’t think this was needed.  Luckily, it goes back to the same Weezer that we know and love for most of what is left on the album, so all is not lost.

This is a solid album and worth the 17 months we had to wait after Red was released.  If you are tired of formulaic rock, avoid it like the plague.  If you don’t like to think when you’re feeling “emo”, pop it in and let it take you back.

Best song – “I’m Your Daddy”

You should also listen to: Weezer – “Blue”, “Green” and “Pinkerton” (in that order, please)

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