Released April 1, 2016
Recommended for you
The other day I asked a group of middle school students what their favorite Weezer song was, to which they all replied with confused looks on their faces: "Who's Weezer?"
My jaw dropped in complete disbelief. It suddenly made me feel very old. I was stunned and wondered how a generation so engrossed in social media and the newest trends could not know who Weezer was. I then asked them,"so you're telling me you never heard Say It Ain't So, Buddy Holly, My Name Is Jonas, or Island In The Sun?" They just stood there and shook their heads. So I mentioned that they had the Damn Daniel guys at the end of their music video for California Kids and they collectively said, "Oh, that's Weezer!?"
Weezer exploded in the early to mid-nineties in the hay day of grunge rock. It was an era when MTV was still playing music, Nirvana was at its peak, and flannels and ripped acid washed jeans were prevalent. For Weezer's fourth self-titled album (following Green, Blue & Red albums, this one is known as The White Album) they have had to use a variety of methods to reach a new generation that may have no idea who they even are.
With this new album, Weezer has had to find new, creative ways to reach a new audience (as well as win over long-time Weezer fans). They released several songs before the albums debut along with music videos for Thank God For Girls, King Of The World, and California Kids. Weezer hasn't had the pressure with this album to make one hit single, instead they seemed dedicated to making the whole album as solid as possible. They also utilized every social media platform at their disposal to get their music into the hands of fans.
Apart from Weezer's marketing strategies, this is one of their most solid albums in a while. It is consistent, catchy, melodic, while still going strong with their trademark grungy guitar leads, wailing vocals and booming drums. All of this is dipped in a summery, Californian, Beach Boy-esque flavor. Each song is about three and a half minutes which goes to show that they have gotten their song writing abilities down to a science. That being said the album never seems to have many low moments, contrarily each song compliments the others and with each listen I have yet to find the urge to skip any song.
Many of the lyrical themes in this album is nothing too new for Weezer: girls (thanking God for girls, L.A. Girlz, unrequited love, etc), struggling with anxiety, addiction, and longing. These themes are explored in fresh ways throughout the album, and a couple tracks and themes have been resurrected from Rivers Cuomo's backlog of 250 songs (especially California Kids).
Since it's release this album has been in my rotation of driving music; it's enjoyable, triumphant, catchy, and a great throwback to the earlier Weezer days. I'll no doubt be listening to The White Album throughtout the summer.
Adam's Album Rating:
