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REVIEW – WEEZER is one of those bands that cannot escape the shadow that their earlier records cast. Fans are always going to cite either Weezer (The Blue Album) or Pinkerton as the quintessential ORGY record. Many people were let down by Weezer (The Green Album) for lack of the passion and nerdy energy the band was being known for. Though, I will admit “Hash Pipe” and “Island in the Sun” were two bright spots in a otherwise letdown of a record. It just seems that the band who at one time prided themselves with trying to create art has taken to just being satisfied with coasting on their past. The whole last decade the band just seemed to put out so many disappointing records and tried so hard to recreate their past and fail miserably. Weezer (The Red Album) at least had the smarts to try (and fail) at experimenting a little with the core sound. Raditude and Hurley were cries for help and a band that is trying to hold on for dear life. The weirdest thing happened in 2014, WEEZER went back to its roots with Everything Will Be Alright in the End and created the album that WEEZER fans have been waiting for. After this record, the WEEZER fans said “all is forgiven” and people were excited again about the prospect of WEEZER really starting to rise above the ashes again. Their 10th album, Weezer (The White Album) has a lot for WEEZER fans to rejoice about and also fear. Let’s talk about the positives, the nerd energy that Rivers transmits is back. Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori sounds like it came from Weezer (The Blue Album). The guitar solo alone is just such a welcome relief to what I feared when the song was starting out and I thought they were going back to that generic stuff they did in the past that felt stale.
This record has some of the best Rivers Cuomo vocal deliveries in quite a while. It also has some of the best fuzzy guitar sounds from this band in a long time. This record at times feels like it is suffering from an identity crisis. Like WEEZER are not happy in their own skin. Rivers even addresses it on Weezer (The White Album) that he feels fans and critics do not think they could be good again. I feel that worry is what hinders this record. It is obvious that Rivers is trying to satisfy too many outside elements and not the inside ones. It feels that this record was forced at times, like he felt this is what we wanted instead of what he and his band wanted. That is what made earlier works classic. He did not worry about nothing else but satisfying himself and where he wanted the band to go. I fear now, the band is where he wanted to go and he knows they cannot get anymore bigger at this point so his music just settles. The quirky nerdiness that won people over in the beginning with that college radio catchiness is long gone in favor of safe middle of the road WEEZER inspired music. This record is not bad, it has enough songs on here to recommend it slightly to a fan. For a non fan though, this would not be such an easy sell. The band really needs to stop settling for their status and delivering the same old stuff time after time. The last release showed that this band still has much more to offer, but that record was met with the music climate of today and did not sell millions and I feel that note plus the fear is what keeps WEEZER doing this safe rock. Weezer (The White Album) is a middle of the road, fair at times, very redundant at others attempt at keeping the name alive.
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