Rating: NNN
I feel bad for Weezer. I really do. No matter what they put out, there’s gonna be a bunch of haterade-drinkin’ haters out there who will insist on comparing anything new to their first two records and argue that they just aren’t the same band. Of fucking course not – those records came out over a decade and a half ago.
And while they aren’t about to rehash Buddy Holly or El Scorcho, the band has come up with a bunch of songs that sound surprisingly full of life without always following the stereotypical “Weezer formula.” The Greatest Man That Ever Lived is a quasi-epic tribute to Queen’s musical pomp, while Pork And Beans and Dreamin’ are as listener-friendly as anything. Aside from a few missteps like Everybody Get Dangerous, there really isn’t anything to get all pissy about here because it’s an older Weezer willing to take a few chances and still doing what they want to do.
