Weezer, I needed this. From where I stand (at the precipice of the second semester's end, where it is currently snowing!), I must call this album a veritable godsend. Although it's sunny enough to enlighten my blues, its sunniness does not overwhelm. Its flavors are mixed and I believe that whether you like Weezer or not, you'll be able to find a summer jam that you love on their 4th(!) self-titled album.
At the start, dinky xylophone notes give way to the garage-guitar headstrong drive of "California Kids." Its lyrics uplift and invite us into Weezer's shoreside view:
And if you're up all night
Thinking about something you did
The California kids
Will show you the sunshine
Another noteworthy thing is that the video for this song is wonderfully self-referential and includes the "Damn, Daniel!" fellows.
"Wind in Our Sails" appeals to pop sensibilities with jaunty Lite-Brite piano and an echoey sweetness that matches the song's hopefulness. We've now heard two songs that genuinely sound happy to be alive, no regrets.
I've known "Thank God for Girls" since it came out in the fall; it caught my interest-- and kept it. The jam revs up for the chorus with intense strength-- Rivers' quick-paced lyrics become a cry of praise, and playful drums support the strains of guitar that lethargically descend. The end of the song might seem like a generic bridge, but it actually builds and brings us to the edge of a cliff before leaving us there unceremoniously.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Rivers Cuomo says that this record was partially inspired by The Beach Boys' style. My mom detected that influence instantly when she heard the chorus of "(Girl We Got A) Good Thing." The simple tambourine and sweet vocalization at the beginning sell the Beach Boys sound, but at the bridge, when Rivers admits that:
"You scare me like an open window,"
he is also reinstating the screech and wail of the punk heart that Weezer refuses to release.
"Do You Wanna Get High" sounds silly unless you pick up on the darker feelings embedded in its yearning guitar and repetitive lyrics from chorus to bridge,
"It's like we're falling in love!"
"I'll never get tired of you."
From that standpoint, the confusing relationship replaces the drug use as the wildly dangerous element, and the hazy instrumentation feels right.
"King of the World," the song that the band has performed recently to late night hosts like Jimmy Fallon, has the catchy bounce of older Weezer hits.
"Yeah girl!"
That's not the most impressive lyric, but it's how I feel about the music. You go, Rivers and friends. You've still got it.
I love "Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori." There aren't that many songs simultaneously about two girls. It kind of smushes both of the characters together-- disrespectful maybe?-- but accurately represents the way that separate experiences can get entangled in the throes of memory. The sun blasts down on this track from the light drum-and-bass-centered verse to the intensifying back end of the bridge:
"Remember when we! Were only 16! You made me believe in God."
And previously, Rivers had declared that:
"God is a woman!"
What a song. The album has used up its fair share of "oh-oh-oh"s at this point.
The masterpiece that is "LA Girlz" slays me. The drawl of the chorus feels like unrequited infatuation. I could dwindle off into a coastline any day with this in my headphones. The trills of guitar that play with the vocals in the verse make me want to sing along. And when the bridge comes around, the desperation of the lyrics sending that Beach Boys influence into a marriage with pop punk makes me want to scream along.
Well, no one needs to know how many times I've listened to "Jacked Up." Please listen to it. It is probably the most experimental track on here, and its spooky piano chords with eerie falsetto really get me, although the song has received mixed reception. It's my favorite, personally, and definitely an interesting go-for-it move by the band.
Finally, with "Endless Bummer," the summer and the album actually do end, for us, anyway, until we give it another listen. Rivers and Weezer have taken us on a journey to a conglomeration of memories, and this melancholy, partially acoustic piece respects that. No pressure to make this summer your best, friends. This song really sets the bar low. Its hype guitar at the end allow us mercy, though, and we don't end feeling totally bummed out.
Major key: the lyrics and guitar wails on this album possess a rebellious, even teen-y confidence, but it wavers incessantly. In this way Weezer's White Album embraces the very variability of weather and passion that characterizes the idealized idea of a West Coast vacation. Besides that pretentious interpretation, the work is play; it's fun. So give it a listen-through and believe in the power of sunlight! I can't wait to see this tour soon; who else will be there?
