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Monday, November 9, 2009
CD review: Weezer, Raditude
Posted by Evan Tokarz on Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 1:24 PM
Your enjoyment of Raditude is entirely dependent on your feelings about Weezer’s brand of pop music — sing-a-longs, whoa-OH choruses, and inane lyrics that you can’t get seem to get out of your head.
Lead singer-songwriter Rivers Cuomo seems to have given up on writing the sort of lyrics he did back on Pinkerton, an album cherished by many Weezer fans for its self-reflective, interesting verses. Now, listeners are stuck with songs that come off as jokes.
Take “Can’t Stop Partyin’,” which features the studio work of well-known hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri (Jay-Z, Usher) and guest vocals by, of all people, NOLA rap artist Lil Wayne. In the track, Cuomo sings about how much he loves Patrón and jewels, pretty girls and “bottles of the Goose.” It's hard to reconcile the lyrics with their creator, a skinny, nerdy Harvard English graduate. The opening single, “(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To,” is similarly simple-minded and features such oy-inducing lyrics as “I swear it's true / without you / my heart is blue.”
However, as most people know — especially pop fans — lyrics don’t make or break an album. Sometimes it’s nice to simply listen to some good original songs, even if they have dumb lyrics. And Ratitude succeeds in this aspect with some solid ones.
"Love is the Answer" has a sitar and features Indian vocalist Amrita Sen while "Put Me Back Together" was co-written with members of All-American Rejects. The track, which has AAR's hushed, breathy vocal style, sounds like it would weaken the knees of young romantic fans of either band.
So, as a whole, the album is a toss-up. Yes, the songs are catchy; and, yes, the lyrics are absurd, but that’s part of the fun of listening to Weezer—wondering what the hell Rivers Cuomo will come up with next. There are sour notes on the album: “In the Mall” and the bonus tracks, for example. But diehard Weezer fans—and fans of catchy pop songs—will likely be happy with the new album. (Out November 3 on Geffen Records)
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