I can't believe I'm saying this, but the new Weezer record is good — really good!
The Gold Album is like a blast from the past, and finds the band reliving — but not recycling — the glory days of The Blue Album and Pinkerton. This is a fun record that all the Weezer haters out there (myself included!) should listen to.
The guitars are loud and Rivers Cuomo hasn't sounded this good in a long time. If you're looking for a good place to start, put on the track "C.E.O." This is like the spiritual successor to "Undone — The Sweater Song." The lyrics are fantastic: "Cranking out another nineties jam / Wish I could do something new / But nobody wants to hear that / They just want the classics / You can't blame 'em, really / There's something special about your early sh*t."
Cuomo has a point. Those early Weezer tracks are special, and it's probably no coincidence that this song has threads of "The Sweater Song" woven throughout. But it builds on that and traverses its own territory. It really is as if "The Sweater Song," now 30 years old, reinvented itself and became "C.E.O." It's solid stuff, with funny — but not silly — lyrics. For me it's an album highlight.
This is a 10-track album, and each song is worthy of at least a mention. So, if you don't mind the format change, here's my quick rundown on the rest of the tracks:
- "Say Yes:" This is the album opener, and immediately piqued my interest as being good rock song. It whetted my appetite though. I wasn't ready to buy into the full album quite yet.
- "Shine Again:" It's another rocker. And suddenly I was starting to question my hater tendencies toward the band — 'maybe Weezer's good again?'
- "Don't Make It Weird:" this one took a bit of a step back after the rocking openers. However, the guitar solo kept me interested and it didn't overstay its welcome.
- "We Might As Well Be Strangers:" This is the big single from the record, and features Karly Hartzman of the band Wednesday. We've been spinning this one over at Studio One the past few weeks. On its own it's always been just okay to me. However, in the context of the three songs before it, it plays really well, and I enjoyed it more than ever before. I love it when my feelings on a track change in the context of the album, and that's the case with this song.
- "C.E.O:" This was the point when The Gold Album sold me. Weezer's back! It's my favorite song on the album.
- "Hoops:" This one doesn't start out the strongest lyrically. "I bought a toaster to make some toast" feels ... redundant. It isn't the best line, but it quickly evolved into yet another really solid rock song that I enjoyed immensely.
- "Nowhere:" This song is my second favorite track. I love the line "Why did they clear the trees just to put up some sh*t box condos?" I've asked myself that same question, glad Rivers Cuomo thinks the same. It's really relatable. It almost reminds me of "My Name is Jonas," from The Blue Album.
- "The Show Must Go On:" Yet another solid rock tune! Where do these keep coming from?! There's not much to say besides it continues the flow of the album nicely.
- "Up In the Clouds:" This one is unique on the record. It's acoustic for a while, talks about life and death, and imagines Cuomo being up in heaven imagining what his friends are up to down on Earth. Or that's what it sounds like to me at least.
- "The LA Sound:" This is the last track on the album. It starts off okay. Cuomo's vocal is a little meh, but once it hits the chorus the song tells a funny story of a band trying to make it, complete with the sometimes-less-than-glamorous realities of life on the road. And we yet again experience a great guitar solo. The solo at the 3/4 mark is one of the better ones I can think of in the Weezer catalogue.
I can't stress this enough, The Gold Album is the closest to reviving the peak of Weezer's glory years of any of their albums, and showcases the band at the strongest they've been for some time. It really recaptures that '90s grunge, which is a feat that these guys have aged 30 years — they really reached into themselves to pull out some genuine angst. It doesn't overstay its welcome either. Clocking in at a speedy 32 minutes with 10 tracks makes it easy for multiple listens. If you thought Weezer was down and out, The Gold Album proves you wrong.