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diversions
Rivers
Cuomo helps maintain Weezer's flow
By Ryan Ritchie
On-line Forty-Niner
Weezer took five
years off between their second album, "Pinkerton,"
and their third, "Weezer (aka the Green Album)."
Next month, the band's fourth album, "Maladroit,"
will be released, roughly one year after the Green Album.
With the talent front man Rivers Cuomo showed on their first
two records, fans were expecting nothing less than perfection
from the Green Album. This was not the case. Many were disappointed
at the lack of emotion shown in the lyrics, the absence of
Cuomo's and rhythm guitar player Brian Bell's chops and the
overall feel that the band really meant it.
It's these fans Cuomo seems to be playing to on "Maladroit."
Like "Pinkerton," "Maladroit" is self-produced.
The first single, "Dope Nose," is everything the
first single from the Green Album, "Hash Pipe,"
should have been. "Dope Nose" is catchy without
feeling contrived, poppy without feeling radio-friendly and
fun without feeling silly.
"Slob," a song the band played at a not-so-secret
show in the summer of 2000 at Java Lanes in Long Beach, is
easily the best Weezer song since "Pinkerton." When
Cuomo sings, "Leave me alone/I won't pick up the phone,"
fans can hear feeling and power in his voice, two things missing
from the previous album.
Cuomo's ability to write diverse songs and making a cohesive
piece of work is what sets him head and shoulders above his
contemporaries. Influences on "Maladroit" range
everywhere from '60s pop to '80s new wave to '80s hair metal,
but somehow maintain the classic Weezer sound. Songs such
as "Fall Together" and "Take Control"
showcase Cuomo's admitted zeal for '80s metal, but aren't
anywhere near as cheesy as Quiet Riot's "Bang Your Head."
But Cuomo's sadder, more intricate side doesn't take a backseat
to his inner-mullet. "Death and Destruction" and
"Slave" will strike a chord with listeners in a
way only he can do. On "Slave," Cuomo sings, "I'm
barely alive/In your arms/Slave/Dreams taken too far/Every
night/Slave."
Having three different bass players on their last three albums
would be difficult for many bands, but not Weezer. When Green
Album bass player Mikey Welsh went missing in action last
year, Weezer picked up local musician Scott Shriner as the
temporary solution. As months passed, fans slowly learned
Welsh would not be returning and Shriner was the permanent
replacement.
His appearance couldn't be any further from the stereotypical
Weezer look, but Shriner's performance on "Maladroit"
is exceptional. Shriner may not have the playful rock star
attitude and beautiful falsetto original bassist Matt Sharp
had, but his musicianship equals and at times outdoes his
two counterparts.
"Maladroit" is simultaneously the best of both of
Weezer's worlds. With the heavy influence of the first "Weezer"
record (aka the Blue Album) and a touch of "Pinkerton"
thrown in, Cuomo may have finally found a happy medium that
will appeal to fans and himself.
Cuomo has said in numerous interviews he is embarrassed by
"Pinkerton" and wants to see it vanished from the
planet. In a perfect world, he would be saying the same about
the Green Album and making more records like "Pinkerton"
and "Maladroit."
B+
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Dreamworks
Records
Weezer includes, from left to right, Patrick
Wilson, Rivers Cuomo, Mikey Welsh and Brian Bell.
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