Give the people what they want

 

By Stewart Dowouis

Weezer’s 1994 debut “blue album” was a revelation, rocketing into popular culture out of nowhere. It was as if the cultural forces at play during the early part of the decade had primed and readied rock fans in ‘94 for a healthy dose of the band’s infectious, straight-from-the-garage power pop output. Weezer was a melodic throwback to the Beach Boys coupled with an apathetic attitude fit for the alternative generation. Nerdy but hip. Buddy Holly meets Kurt Cobain. Focusing more on hooks than style, the band reenergized perceptions of commercial rock for many on the strength of massive hits like Undone, Say it Ain’t So and Buddy Holly. The impact of Grunge on the mainstream was fading fast by this time, but the surprising success of the “blue album” signaled that rock still had much more to share with the world.

Weezer would follow up their successful debut with Pinkerton, an album of material that was equally solid but a bit more abrasive and darker thematically. If “blue” was the Beach Boys, Pinkerton was Roy Orbison. While it would eventually go on to reach cult status as a highly respected emo landmark, fans were split at the time over the record’s dramatic thematic approach. It failed commercially, leading to the departure of bassist Matt Sharp and a hiatus for the band as a whole. For many Gen Xers, this marked the permanent end of our personal relationship with Weezer as well. 

Approximately five years later, against all odds, their second act began. MASSIVE millennial success. 17 more studio albums. Tons of charting radio rock hits. Hash Pipe. Beverly Hills. Pork and Beans. A cover of Toto’s Africa. You know them all. But for many older fans, it just didn’t feel the same this time around. Weezer now seemed…for lack of better words…corporate and soulless. The singles seemed deliberately made for novelty. They were cutting new territory with each new record, but much of it was simply lame as hell. Sorry. Gotta be honest here. 21st century Weezer felt like a whole new project writing for a totally different generation with a completely different motive. 

And that brings us to 2026. This week marks the release of Weezer’s 20th studio album, the “gold album.” The jaded old fan in me wasn’t expecting much when I first heard about it. I stopped paying attention to their discography somewhere around Maladroit. Would this one really be that different? Well 22 Sound was lucky enough to host an official advanced listening party for the record, and I was able to give it an early listen. Long story short…dude…it does NOT suck. At all. In fact, it’s totally rad. I have no problem at all declaring this to be their best output since Pinkerton. Recency bias be damned. 

Track five, an advance single titled C.E.O., contains the snarky lines “wish I could do something new…gotta give the people what they want…gotta stop thinking like a mad professor cuz it’s getting me nowhere.” This sentiment hits particularly hard because the song itself is basically a loose interpolation of their classic track, Undone. Ironically, this attempt to pacify fans of their classic era by giving “the people what they want” comes across as the most sincere thing they’ve done in decades. Very meta stuff! 

The production quality of the whole record is just top notch. That familiar fuzzy guitar tone is back and up front. The energy is high throughout. It’s just a joy of a record. So much so that I joked at the listening event that it seemed almost too perfect; as if the band prompted an A.I. music generator to create a classic Weezer record that would appeal exclusively to their jaded old fans. Highly recommended! If the “gold album” is the start of their third act, I’m here for it.

Before I wrap this up, I gotta mention the single, We Might as Well Be Strangers. Good lord…FANTASTIC! It may just be my favorite Weezer song ever. If you do nothing else, at least give this one a listen on your preferred streaming service. (If you happen to be a fan of the punk band Iron Chic…it’s very Iron Chic.)