Everything Will Be Alright In The End

First things first, I need to get something straight - I do not think that nu-Weezer is bad. But classic Weezer is better. I really liked the power-pop sound on their debut album, the Blue Album, from 1994. After releasing some more albums, they released Hurley, back in 2010. Hurley had a lot of good parts, but it also was very different from the Blue Album. It had a more modernized, punk rock sound. Around that time, Rivers Cuomo didn't care about songs like he used to write - I think he just wanted to write songs that were popular. Long-time Weezer fans didn't like it, though. To me, Hurley was good, but some parts were bad. What I'm trying to say is, every Weezer album has at least a few good songs, but not every single album is good all the way through. The Blue Album and Red Album came the closest, but still had a couple skippers. These are my favorite albums (In order from best to worst) - Everything Will Be Alright In The End, Blue, Red, Maladroit, Hurley, Make Believe, Raditude, Green, Pinkerton (Many fans would disagree, but I actually didn't like Pinkerton. It's too dark, depressing, and emotional. Also, I don't have Death To False Metal.) This album, however, was the band's chance to redeem themselves. They realized that rock is dead, so they decided to try to sound like they used to. (Rock is actually not quite dead, but is it just me, or does it seem like most of today's rock is punk?) I think it worked! This is Weezer's only album where every song is equally good. Rolling Stone described this album as "The Weezer we know and love." All of the songs actually sound like they could be from past albums, with a little bit of a new sound. Eulogy For A Rock Band reminds me of Make Believe, Lonely Girl reminds me of Maladroit, Cleopatra reminds me of the Blue Album, etc. Every song gets 5/5, so I won't be rating them this time. Ain't Got Nobody: This song is dark! It begins off with a kid telling his mother that he had a nightmare, and then turns into a heavy, crunchy song. I love it because it really rocks out. The guitar solo is amazing! Back To The Shack: Great job! This was THE song that hinted that Weezer would be back. Rivers even says in the lyrics that he wants to get back to his classic sound. The harmonies are good as well. Eulogy For A Rock Band: It may take awhile to grow on you. The main reason why I said that is because the verses probably sound a little weird at first. They also sound very different from the chorus. But you soon start to appreciate it more and more, and soon I felt like rating it 5 stars instead of 3 or 4. I wouldn't find this out of place on Make Believe. Lonely Girl: Now this sounds like classic Weezer! Specifically Maladroit, because of the distortion. It's also very radio-friendly. I've Had It Up To Here: This one reminds me of the 70's/80's era, especially with the funkiness. It's a real change of pace for their standards. I like how Rivers's voice slides up and down. The lyrics are very meaningful. Sounds like a variation of Eye Of The Tiger. The British Are Coming: After a slow intro with a bell tolling and somebody talking (I don't know who), the song begins. This one's very energetic and has an interesting rhythm pattern. Rivers's voice can get pretty high if he lets it. Best song on the album. Da Vinci: What a simple and goofy, yet fantastic song. There's even some whistling used in the intro. After that, it turns into a simple and nice song. Soon, for the chorus, some guitar kicks in and the song takes off. This sounds like a continuation of Pork & Beans, only a tad goofier. Go Away: The band surprised me with this one. Rivers sings a duet with Bethany Cosentino (from Best Coast), which is his first real duet, not counting Lil' Wayne from Can't Stop Partying. It's nice how Rivers and Bethany talk back and forth, both with their perspectives of a situation, and often sing in harmony. This is both hard rockin' and uplifting! Cleopatra: The second single from the album. As usual, it rocks out and is unmistakably Weezer. The tempo change-ups are just awesome. The British Are Coming, Da Vinci, Cleopatra... there sure are a lot of historical song titles on this album. Foolish Father: This is a song that Rivers wrote for his dad, who he was mad at for awhile. Even in Say It Ain't So (Blue), he mentions his dad. Anyway, this one's very intense and probably the most heartfelt on the album. The intro and ending are epic! The Futurescope Trilogy: This is that 7 minute quasi-instrumental that Rivers was talking about in that Rolling Stone article for this album. Very nice indeed. I was expecting an actual futuristic sound, but it turned out to be really good without. Oh, and the transitions between the parts are really good! The 3 parts are - I. The Waste Land: A good beginning to the trilogy. Sounds rather dark. II. Anonymous (originally called My Mystery): Begins off as a slow change-of-pace song, which soon gets intense. This is the only part of the trilogy to have any vocals. III. Return To Ithaka: Definitely the best part! It really rocks out and closes the album just fine. So, while everybody else is listening to Justin Beiber, Iggy Azaelia, or Miley Cyrus, I'll be jamming to some Weezer. Even for $10, this album is more than worth the price. Glad to have you back, guys.

Weezer had a pair of emotional challenges to overcome, in the slow public response to 1996's Pinkerton, and the lukewarm fan reaction to 2001's Green Album. While it eventually became clear that fans liked Pinkerton, and the radio liked Hash Pipe and Island in the Sun from Green, those two events seem to have produced a "well, what do you want from me?" reaction that lasted over a decade. Well folks, problem solved. Everything Will Be Alright In The End is an admission that those three albums were, in fact, what Weezer does best. It is catchy, and it rocks, and if there is more like this to come, Weezer may yet prove that a band can last for decades without mellowing out. The album starts with a track that would belong on Pinkerton, with its heavy groove and heavy themes, Ain't Got Nobody. This is immediately followed by the best-crafted first single Weezer has put out since the '90s, Back to the Shack. Already it is apparent that silly lyrics are not an impediment to good songwriting. The album moves into a polished example of the later Weezer sound in Eulogy for a Rock Band, and then one that fits with the earlier sound in Lonely Girl. There's a bit of a slow patch in somewhat uninteresting melodies in I've Had It Up To Here, and even more so in the album's weak point in The British Are Coming. Fear not, because the second half of the album is better than the first. Da Vinci is for those who like the quirkier Weezer songs like El Scorcho, a little hard to figure out on the first couple listens, but sure to be a favorite for some. I have a feeling that it may end up as my favorite. If the Green Album is your favorite, you'll surely like the next track, Go Away, with its solid groove and catchy vocal lines. After that is Cleopatra, the song that galvanizes the album, and is the most likely to survive the years. Here Weezer shows their willingness to throw straightforward melodies at you, but make the whole thing interesting with a couple extra syllables thrown into the melody, stepping outside of the rhythm you'd normally expect. A breather (and some unfortunate backing vocals) are provided by Foolish Father, before launching into The Futurescope Trilogy, which is really two instrumental rock ballads sandwiching Anonymous. This song is pure rock surrounding one of the best choruses Weezer has ever played, and it's short and only played here twice. The finale of the trilogy is unlike the typical slow Weezer closing song, almost a statement that the band's more interested in the rock than the formula. The whole trilogy is ready for blasting arena audiences. Normally I would give this album four stars, because I reserve that for albums that have several tracks that just astound me. This album is solid and worth buying as a whole (rather than cherrypicking), which I would normally give four stars. However, the significance and promise of this effort push it to five stars for me. Thank you, Ric Ocasek!

When I heard this album was coming out I immediately set my expectations low given The Red Album, Ratitude, and Hurley. After hearing Back to the Shack (the single) my expectations went up a little but I still wasn't sure what to expect. I kept reading that this was a return to form of Pinkerton and the Blue Album. As a huge Weezer geek, this definitely got me excited, but again I tried to keep my expectations in check. I was pleasantly surprised. It's the first Weezer album where I've been able to listen from start to finish without having to skip a song - there are no "throw away songs". It's well thought out, flows nicely, and is full of Rivers' signature woahs and catchy, chunky guitar riffs. That said, it's not the Blue album or Pinkerton. It actually feels like a blend between Maladroit and Make Believe, with a little more feeling. The song-writing lacks the subtlety the first two albums had (I still don't know what Surfwax America is about) but it's a lot of fun nonetheless. The last three tracks (together known as the Futurescope Trilogy) are nothing short of epic. Simple yet enthralling guitar riffs that come together in an amazing finale. I remember reading once that the guitar buildup and solo in Only in Dreams was compared to "the closest thing to skydiving" one could ever experience without actually getting in a plane. These tracks are the closest to achieving the harmony and excitement I feel when listening to Only in Dreams.

Like most folks I saw buddy holly on the mtv back in 94 and ran out and bought the album (also being from Kenosha, Wisconsin it was exciting to think a band on mtv was from Kenowhere but soon came to the gross realization that it wasn’t true) and was instantly hooked. (say it aint so being my all-time favorite song) a couple of years later Pinkerton comes out and I barely noticed it, It didn’t get a lot of press and by this time I was into different stuff but while I was looking at an old girlfriend’s very mediocre cd collection I see it sitting there and asked if I could borrow it I get it home put it in and was appalled thinking, “this doesn’t sound anything like the first album” so I hated it. I came a crossed it again about a year later and figured I would give it another shot and it completely grew on me the crunchy riffs, the drums that just jumped out at you the vocals it all just seemed to meld together in this amazing angsty rock opera that exceeded the blue album I mean why didn’t I see this before? Maybe because I was expecting the same thing and got something completely different. Pinkerton became my favorite album and turned me into a diehard Weezer fan desperately waiting for every album with nervous anticipation hoping that maybe the next entry will bring them back to their glory only to be increasingly disappointed with every effort. I don’t hate the other albums but I don’t like them as much as the first two. To be honest I disconnected from the music world and missed Raditude and Hurly (but heard I didn’t miss much) and lost touch with what Weezer was up to. till today I was sitting on the john flipping through my amazon app when I see an ad for the new Weezer ablum figured I’d check out the samples and as soon as I push play it’s like I was teleported to the exact moment when Pinkerton stole my heart with giddy excitement I buy the album and have not stopped listing to it all day it’s like a breath of fresh air with every track it’s what hardcore Weezer fans have been waiting for for 20 years. It’s like watching a child being born it brings a beautiful joy to my heart to hear this album. Thank You Weezer Thank You!

Like many other long time weezer fans, I was brought into their music during my adolescence because the authenticity of Blue and Pinkerton spoke to my identity at a very formidable time in my life, and always loved the band's knack for crunchy pop-riffs, addictive melody, and sincere lyrics. Rivers Cuomo at his best is an incredibly unique mix of Buddy Holly, Van Halen, and Ric Ocasek (who also produced this album). And like many others, I have mixed feelings about their work since then. It hasn't all been bad, but it's never been consistently good and their work often left you feeling like it was missing something and that they were vainly fishing for more record sales while taking their original fans for granted. I personally really like the Green album for its condensed, super-slick pop sheen, but others feel like it lacks imagination. (To me it's an incredibly easy album to listen to). Maladroit was okay but very forgettable. Make Believe was terrible. Red album had some high points but came off as disjointed and definitely had a few duds (Everybody get Dangerous, Heart Songs). Raditude had no artistic direction and felt like Rivers was desperately trying to fling a bunch of different pop-memes against the wall hoping one or two would stick. Admittedly quite a few songs on Raditude are catchy(Rivers is after all a great song-writer), but the songwriting always seemed low-brow. Hurley was okay, but seemed rushed. So what do we have with Everything Will Be Alright In the End? Thankfully, a very carefully put-together album where the band finally trusts its song-writing instincts from beginning to end. You can tell every song was well thought-out. Each song has its own unique combination of clever thematic lyrics, pop-jingles, layered solos, and that crunchy guitar sound. They're both enjoyable on their own and compliment each other to create a very coherent album. This album is not a facsimile of Blue or Pinkerton. I'm fine with that, since those albums were made almost 20 years ago and time marches on. However, when you listen to this album you definitely feel like the band made it with a devotion to songwriting that hasn't been around since those two albums. It rocks. It's sensitive. It's sing-songy. It's crunchy. And it even takes the band in new directions. Quite a few songs on the album delve into non-linear instrumentals we haven't heard. (I'm mostly talking about the last three songs on the album). For the last ten years I always felt like Weezer albums were a tease. There'd be a few super catchy, weezer-y songs that'd be pushed out as singles. There'd be a few superficial attempts to "broaden its base" that consisted of different genres of songs that were okay but shallow. And there'd be some songs that were just filler, or even worse, outright bad. I always felt like there was just enough to keep me going, but I never felt like the work was good as a whole. Well, now there's finally another weezer album that feels right from beginning to end. I'm not 14 anymore so I'm not going to latch onto it the way I did with their earlier albums. But I'm guessing 10 years from now I'll still be happy to put it in my CD player and enjoy every song.

Stop me if youve heard this one before but this is Weezers best album in years! Seriously. I havent been able to listen to Weezer's last 3 albums all the way through. Although Death to False Metal had some interesting ideas, for the most part it blends with Hurley and Ratitude into an era and songs that do nothing for me. The lyrics on those albums passed thru me and the production drove me crazy! The saddest thing to me about modern era Weez hasnt been the inane lyrics but the compressed and boring guitar/drum tones. I decided to trust the guys on this record and give it a listen. Damn. You got me dudes. I give this album 5 stars not in the spirit of an "E for Effort" but as an A+ on their final exam. This album is bursting with IDEAS. And Passion. And kudos to Ric Ocasek and whoever mixed this cause the vocal performances and instrument tones are DESTROYING me. Congrats. My fav tracks are "The British Are Coming" and "Cleopatra." Radio is never gonna play them but they will be blasting out of this old school fan's speakers for a long time.

This album will inevitably be reviewed time and time again as a comparison of sorts to the early days of Weezer, specifically the self-titled debut (the blue album) and Pinkerton. While this album holds its own against those two fan favorites, the album doesn't need to draw comparisons to be an enjoyable listen. Weezer has crafted a truly coherent, full-length, guitar driven album, something that I thought was lost long ago in popular music, having made way for hip-hop influenced, beat machine crafted, dance-able 99c singles for pop music radio. As the album opens, you hear the words "Rock is dead. Guitars are dead." Apparently Weezer was unhappy with that situation, and they have done their best to rectify it on Everything Will Be Alright In The End, staying true to early form but also to their roots as fans of KISS styled guitar solos. Crafty songwriting, near-perfect production, big hooks, bigger solos. All around, definitely the album of the year so far for me, worth listening to from beginning to end. As for the comparisons to previous work, I will say that I enjoy listening to this album at 30 as much as I enjoyed listening to "Blue" at 10.

Had high hopes for this one, but felt let down. Same old thing, really. I like a few songs, but a lot of the lyrics are so sophmoric, I'm almost embarrassed to be listening. I guess I thought these guys would have gained a little sophistication over the years. Da Vinci is good, it's got a little creativity going, but a lot of this album feels really recycled in ideas and music. And, you know, I love Ric Ocasek, but this has been produced to death. There's no sense of spontaneity. OK, having said that, it's not a terrible album, just not up there with their best, and I'm not even talking about the Blue album or Pinkerton. I only got it because the price dropped and also because it came with a nicely done digital booklet.