Friday, October 30, 2009

Oh Weezer: This One Doesn't Suck!

I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Weezer. Their debut CD was one of my very favorites at the time. Like CRAZY IN LOVE. Pinkerton was great too (even though at the time there was backlash). Since then? Well, it's been hit or miss! For every gem ("Island In The Sun" "This Is Such A Pity" "Dope Nose") there has been a stinker ("Beverly Hills" "Troublemaker" "Pork And Beans"). Their music runs such a fine line between sublime and banal. And they've offered plenty of each. It's just sad when they delivered ALL sublime on their first CD, to have to suffer through such crap on so many subsequent efforts. I don't know if their upcoming release, Raditude, is going to be any good... in fact with a title like

that I'm guessing it might suck. But based on the first single, "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" I'm encouraged. I really like it. I just heard it for the first time on CD101 in the car the other day and it's fun stuff.

It's tough to live up to a bar you raised so high for yourself the first time around. I think people have finally let Weezer off the hook after this many years and enough stinkers. I suppose the bar sort of doesn't exist anymore when I don't have any expectations when a new Weezer album comes out, lol. But this was a pleasant surprise.