WE GO GREEN FOR A BAND
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOST LITTLE RASCAL
Head Weez Rivers Cuomo turned 38 last Friday, and he arrives at impending middle age with a new Rick Rubin produced slab on top of Billboard's Modern Rock chart, a fabulous cardigan collection and a pretty damn respectable songwriting legacy. Diss as you will but a platoon of contenders have been chasing Weezer's sound since their 1994 debut. Sharp, snotty pop music will always sell, especially when paired with KISS style riffs and Pixies slam (two happily stated influences on the band). A bucket of smarts and knack for moping doesn't hurt either. Weezer fully penciled in their blueprint with their self-titled third release in 2001, known to fans as "The Green Album".
Twitchy and cynical yet slavish to monster hooks and bolstered by a Motown-ish instinct for grand little "yips" and instrumental colors, "The Green Album" revived the band's fortunes after 1996's Pinkerton failed to dazzle consumers or critics (Rolling Stone called it one of the worst albums of 1996, though in 2004 the mag reversed its position and inducted Pinkerton into their Hall of Fame). Such outrageous slings and arrows were too much for Weezer's mastermind, and Cuomo put the band on the backburner for nearly three years. Their third album ranges from the bad times/good times grind of "Hash Pipe" to the sugar blast of "Island In The Sun." It met with immediate success and remains a pleasure trigger for millions.
The knee jerk reaction to anything that does this well commercially is to put it down as pap but Weezer, in this instance at least, is worthy of the accolades given to Cheap Trick and Big Star for creating intelligent, well constructed rock that shows up the shortcomings of most competitors. We're all about giving credit where credit's due, and we raise our lighter to Mr. Cuomo for this fine offering in a career of fine offerings. Feel free to flick your Bic along with us.
"The Green Album" track list:
1. Don't Let Go
2. Photograph
3. Hash Pipe
4. Island in the Sun
5. Crab
6. Knock-down Drag-out
7. Smile
8. Simple Pages
9. Glorious Day
10. O Girlfriend
Here's a quite dope live version of "Hash Pipe." Yes, pun intended.
"Glorious Day" shines at a Knitting Factory performance Weezer did under the pseudonym Goat Punishment.
And for those that just gotta sing along (and hipsters, we promise not to tell anyone if you pipe up…), you can check out a solo acoustic take on "Island In The Sun" or the cuddly-riffic Spike Jonze video.
| 