I have listened to this album so much the last few days. I had it on repeat all day long yesterday while I had the windows open and then sitting out on my deck. Easily the 3rd best Weezer album. I will probably keep listening to this regularly until Black album comes out.
Man, I love this album even more now that I have it on vinyl. Hit me perfectly today alongside EWBAITE.
Prior to this performance and the one at Spotify NYC the day (I think) before, Slave had only been played four times ever, all in 2002.
Really digging this so far, it's catching me a lot more than EWBAITE on my first listen. So damn catchy, hope it sticks with me once the summer hits
So I know a lot of people on AP were not really fans of The Needle Drop (I dig him), but hot damn he gave this an 8!
I can honestly say now that I've heard this in full that it is one of the best Weezer albums in their catalog for me. The singles were good and the rest of the album is just as good if not better. Wind in my sails is my favorite at the moment! Probably the first time I've listened to a Weezer album in full multiple times in a row.
Not really sure how to identify band member influence, aside from their direct songs on Red, I feel like its all rivers all the time.
It's so funny. In the vinyl it says "all songs written by Rivers Cuomo except..." and then proceeds to list every single song, which all have co-writers. @ComedownMachine Brian Bell co-wrote L.A. Girlz and Endless Bummer.
This is probably my second favorite Weezer record at this point. Pretty shocked at how much I love it, honestly.
I know this probably isn't true for a lot of people, but I feel like Weezer kinda has released stuff in pairs, at least the way I think about it. Pinkerton the darker, more serious companion to the summery Blue. Maladroit the darker, more serious companion to the carefree Green. This new album definitely feels like the summery/fun companion to the bit more rockin/experinemtal(maybe?) EWBAITE. The other 4 albums don't quite fit the way those do, but I could definitely see Hurley being a response to Raditude and Red being a response to Make Belive in certain ways
so happy other people are loving this. was completely floored by it on my first listen (especially after the meh first single of TGFG). it's (shocker) a warm LA day today and i just want to leave work & drive around with the windows down and this blasting. i didn't super love EWBAITE.. felt a bit forced, but this is just great. perfect balance between the poppier weezer we've come to know and the old 'classic' weezer.
The one thing I still wonder about is how genuine of an effort this is and how much of it is fan service. I think it's a great mix of the two in theory, but I wonder more about Rivers' intentions and feelings. Like, are this and EWBAITE a response to the general reception of Make Believe through Raditude? Were those albums more genuine representations of the music he and the band want to make, or has he come back around to appreciating the sound of "classic" Weezer? How does the band feel about Hurley? Sorry, just thinking out loud. Haha.
Really? I think a lot of those tracks do the things they tried on Red and Raditude, just immensely better, which (if my theory about Rivers infatuation with pop is true) would point to at least part of this record being "genuine." Gah. That's not the word I want to use. Hmm.
I'm inclined to agree with you. I've said this a million times before, but I just find Rivers to be such an enigma and Weezer's career to be a really endearing story, haha.
Listening to EWBAITE after this one, that feels a lot more forced and too self-aware than the new one. I feel like it's a perfect balance between appreciating their classic sound but they made a pop album that finally feels organic for them. "Beverly Hills" really started them trying to be too mainstream pop, and I wonder what would've happened if that bombed. It's sad that that's one of their most successful songs. Hurley was half Weezer getting back on track and half horrible pop (ugh "Smart Girls"), EWBAITE musically is there and I love the album but a lot of the lyrics are too forced (especially in retrospect after the White album) but it feels like they're settled into doing what they do great again. I still can't help but worry that Rivers will get weird on the next one haha but so glad to have this album. Absolutely in love with it.