With the release of Weezer’s 1994 self-titled debut — better known as the “Blue Album” — singer Rivers Cuomo and Co. likely spawned what would become the let’s-sulk-until-women-find-us-attractive emo generation.
Weezer’s first two albums were chock-full of sad, self-deprecating songs disguised by hard-hitting beats and harmonies that kept us coming back for more of the sweet nectar of a voice Cuomo has.
The group’s latest, Make Believe, on the other hand, holds a different feel — and by different, I mean namby-pamby. There are too many slower, drum-machine-esque sounds that tear away from the Weezer we knew in 1996 with Pinkerton’s Percocet-induced, love-starved, depression-drowned noise. Let’s not make judgments yet, though — searches for lust, love, fitting in and escape from loneliness are still deeply rooted in Cuomo’s screaming heart.
The album kicks off with a military drum roll that rolls into “Beverly Hills.” Cuomo speaks his way into the chorus and then rhymes something about the glories of Beverly Hills. Then he dares to talk sensually during the interlude. But come on, it’s depressed ol’ Rivers here. Well, for a hit single on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks charts, that’s probably to be expected.
“Perfect Situation,” the second track on the record, boasts a classic Weezer beginning to a song with a strong lead guitar. Then what happens? Did Coldplay’s pianist join the band or something? The song gets into a mainstream rock jumble, but makes up for it with the power it carries and the voice that you just can’t get enough of.
An ’80s rendition of George Harrison’s “Isn’t it a Pity?” is what you’ll find in “This is Such a Pity” — except this version’s got terrible lyrics. Great message, guys, but frontman Cuomo, who anticipates an English degree from Harvard sometime before his death, shouldn’t have compiled the lyrics from instant messenger profiles of 15-year-old cheerleaders.
One of the more significantly well-written songs on the album, “Hold Me,” doesn’t express much poetic genius but entertains the heartbroken. When you hear Rivers sing, you know it’s the ultimate ballad for all the lonely teens driving home after a terribly depressing night of wishing they had made a move on their date.
The only true hard-rock song on the album is “We Are All on Drugs.” Still, Cuomo holds himself back from the raw sound of Pinkerton — and this time he just blatantly sings, “We are all on drugs.”
Make Believe gets into a four-song slump, starting with “Pardon Me,” a mix of poor lyrics and melody. “My Best Friend” is typical radio crap while “Freak Me Out” feels like Postal Service’s take on “Slob” off of Maladroit — mellow, dry moaning with a harmonica that will make you gag up last night’s Diner “beef stroganoff.”
And then there is “Haunt You Every Day.” What is this — a song specifically written to become a cell phone ring? The song’s annoying start gets better once the vocals kick in. It’s an adequate Weezer sad song, but with an appalling beginning.
Make Believe is an inconclusive reminiscence of past Weezer albums, where several songs tease us with build-ups similar to that of “Only in Dreams” from the self-titled blue album. But at least we have those past albums to look back to.
