Weezer – the Black Album
Spoiler alert: It has been over 22 years since the Blue album and Pinkerton were released. The Black album is different than those albums. Very different – it is pure, unvarnished pop. There is very little grungy, power-chord rock to be found, if at all. Those who expect all of Weezer’s 12 albums to sound like their first two albums from the mid-90s will be disappointed or angry or maybe even feel betrayed. There are apparently many such people. In fact, I admittedly struggle with similar feelings from time to time. Are such feelings valid?
I think this is an important question, and I think the important answer is “not necessarily.” It is probably a little unrealistic and entitled to require Weezer to continue writing “Say It Ain’t So” over and over again. If they want to make different-sounding music, and risk alienating certain fans, who is to say they can’t?
The real question should not be, “does the album meet the genre requirements I have” but “is the album any good?” I think the answer to that is “Yes, it’s actually pretty good.” As a pop fan would want, there are plenty of catchy choruses and lyrical themes to help escape the mundane for a while. There are scenes of everyday life, romance, loneliness, and drugs. Some highlights are the disco vibe of “Livin’ In LA”, the 90’s pop snark of “I’m Just Being Honest”, and the Katy Perry beat of “The Prince Who WantedEverything.” On top of those, the video for “High As a Kite” is hilarious. You’ve never seen Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood quite like this.
Having caught a night of Weezer’s 2019 tour, I’m quite pleased that deep down, they still know how to rock, and they know what the people want. They performed only one song from their new album compared to four songs from the Blue album. They sounded great, and connected with the audience well. Having opened with a barbershop quartet version of their classic hit, "Buddy Holly," it’s obvious that they still have that playfulness that made them so appealing at the start. The Weezer band members are pushing 50. Sure, many of us long for the Weezer from when we were adolescents. But given Weezer’s carefree, good-humored, and "I’ll-make-the-music-I-want" attitude, it looks like they are still in touch with their adolescent side, too.
============