make believe.

oh, holy crap.
weezer is back.
after a long period of absence.
and i’m not talking about the three years between this album and their last one.
i’m talking about the nine years between now and the last time they put out an above average record.

beverly hills – against my better judgement, i really like this song. it’s the exact opposite of what i was expecting from weezer, and what i usually go for. but for some reason, it catches me. i’m not sure why.

perfect situation – man, rivers can really fuckin’ play guitar. a song about his vow of celibacy interfering with his search for love should probably be awkward. but it’s not. it rocks. and it rocks hard. and it’s probably the best weezer song since pinkerton came out in 1996.

this is such a pity – who knew that weezer could do a tribute to 80s new wave, and actually do it well? this song blows the entire dance-rock genre out of the water. weezer nails it on their first attempt.

hold me – the chorus explodes out of a hushed verse, and caught me by surprise the first time. the repetition of the words “hold me” in the chorus borders on annoying, but it’s epic enough to pull it off.

peace – this song brings back the weezer staple of acoustic guitars layered underneath chugging electrics, and it’s great. the chorus REALLY demonstrates rivers’ incredible vocal range. he could probably quit weezer and be an opera singer with minimum effort.

we are all on drugs – here we reach the first song that i have qualms with. the lyrics are just vapid. it’s a fun enough song, but there’s nothing to it. one thumb down.

the damage in your heart – ah, now this album is back on track. this song is pretty devestating. like a cross between pinkerton and country. and there’s violin featured on the track. it’s killer. it’d be a great next single…

pardon me – rivers apologizes to everyone he’s wronged over the years, and it’s a tear-jerker.

my best friend – this song blows. the only song on the album that i can find nothing i enjoy.

the other way – this song is pretty much like “my best friend” version 2.0. it’s a great, catchy pop song. it baffles me that they put “my best friend” on the album when they had this one to fall back on for the uptempo-rock song slot.

freak me out – rivers’ ode to a spider. it’s a completely chill song, and the guitar harmonics throughout the song are killer. the harmonica solo is a really nice addition as well. great tune.

haunt you every day – the best weezer closing track since “only in dreams” on the blue album. epic. perfect way to close a pretty goddamn good album.

all in all

8.5/10

points taken off for one totally shitty song, and one kind of stupid song.
other than that, it is a fantastic, fantastic record.
buy it.

-A