Weezer Have Gone Crazy

I love Weezer. We've had a long and satisfying relationship. If you remember from an earlier blog, the Blue Album is on my "Deserted Island" list. Also, if you remember, I've said that I like to see bands change and evolve over time. Then to refresh your memory one more time, I've also said that no opinion on music is definitive, and critics are full of it. So that being said, bear in mind that this is mere opinion, and I don't like Weezer any less.

Really guys? Another album? The "standard" gap between albums is two years, with more being common. Bands that churn out yearly albums (in this era) are typically commercial machines looking to sell their name for a buck or two. So what's going on, Weezer? You wait three years to release the Red Album (#6), then about a year later, you hit us with Raditude, a very controversial album amongst Weezer fans. I use the term "controversial" pretty liberally here. But you know what I mean. As if there wasn't enough of an argument between Weezer fans about the direction of the band, Raditude comes along with its pop-oriented sound, drastically different from Weezer's geek rock/power pop roots. Come on, they even collaborated with Lil Wayne on one of those songs, after poking fun at artist's for doing that just one album prior (specifically, poking fun of pairing up with Timbaland).

And now, this September (roughly one year since Raditude), they will be releasing a yet-to-be-titled eighth album. Three albums in as many years. For the Red Album, frontman Rivers Cuomo was not the only one with the pen, or even the mic. All of the other band members contributed songs and even assumed lead vocals on the album. Weezer said that with all of the band members writing songs now, new material was popping up faster than ever, thus speeding up the album releases. But wait...let's look at the credits for Raditude, shall we? Drummer Pat Wilson wrote one, then the others...Cuomo...Cuomo...Cuomo...Cuomo...see a pattern, yet?

Again, I'm not really complaining. Though it's different, I'm not disgusted with the seventh album. Plus, who I am to judge their creative streak? Maybe inspiration is just striking left and right and these are the results. I'm eager to hear what this new album will hold in store for us. I'm hoping it will dispel all fears for the future of this beloved band. Nevertheless, wherever the future takes them, I still love albums 1-6, and I will always respect the band that recorded them.