Weezer — you either love them or you hate them. Geeky, fun and memorable. Loud, illogical and obnoxious. Whichever way you look at it, they stand out.
Over the past 15 years the band has given us six albums filled with classic songs.
Now, with their seventh album, “Raditude,” Weezer unleashes another menagerie of songs that are decidedly better than anything “Make Believe” or the “Red Album” ever generated. Fans are right to doubt whether the band could recover from their sixth album letdown (bonus tracks not included), but they’ve done it. If you’re looking for some classic Weezer with a slight twist of ridiculous, then you’ve found it in “Raditude.”
The first single of the album, “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” is a fun ‘50s style pop beat that has you dancing around the room, yelling out the lyrics with your friends.
“I’m Your Daddy” and “The Girl Got Hot” are wonderfully reminiscent of the days of “The Green Album,” thickly laced with alternative rock chords with the addition of a more clean-cut, upbeat edge that appeals to everyone.
“Can’t Stop Partying” is a taste of the more experimental Weezer, sounding vaguely like MGMT, with Lil’ Wayne busting out a rhyme in the bridge. Yes, you heard right, Lil’ Wayne is rapping in a Weezer song. Catchy and humorous, this song is sure to be stuck in your head for hours on end.
Switching abruptly from the alternative rock meets hip-hop vibe, “You Put Me Back Together,” “Tripping Down The Freeway” and “Let It All Hang Out” reverts back to the classic Weezer sound that fans fell in love with in 1994. Channeling a Taylor Swift pop vibe, these songs will invariably put a smile on your face as you cruise down the street on a sunny afternoon or study in your dorm late at night.
Weezer isn’t Weezer without a smudge of randomness in their albums. “Love Is The Answer” is probably the quirkiest song on the album, with Bollywood pop lyrics and instrumentals thrown around throughout the song. The drawn out ballad seems out of place with the rest of the album, an outcast that doesn’t necessarily compliment the rest. It isn’t their best, and seems to belong on “The Red Album” along with all the other experimental efforts.
The next track, “In The Mall” holds a vague similarity to “Hash Pipe” with hard chord progressions and frequent repetitions of the chorus.
The final tracks of every Weezer album are always mellow, and “Raditude” is no exception. “I Don’t Want To Let You Go” is melancholy and full of honest lyrics, making it the perfect sound to close your day with.
The album ends with an acoustic bonus track, “The Story Of My Life.” It’s a Rivers Cuomo classic, full of lyrical nothings and heartbroken ponderings.
Without a doubt, “Raditude” is far superior to the past two albums released and it manages to collaborate the classic sounds of “The Blue Album” with the experimental uniqueness of “The Red Album.” Is it their best record? Not even close. Are the songs dangerously close to becoming new favorites? Absolutely.
