Well, I've been listening to Weezer's latest self-titled album, the Red Album, quite extensively simply becuase I think it's quite damn good. Generally, it's received mixed responses from most weezer fans, but I don't really give a shit. The fact is, many compare it to the likes of Pinkerton and the Blue Album, and that is simply not fair. That's not fair to Weezer and neither is it to the idiots doing the comparison.

Since reviewing the album without reviewing each individual song wouldn't really do the album justice, I shall now review each song in order of the track selection:

1. Trouble Maker:

I really like this song. Though it's not quite vintage weezer, it has enough kick and pizazz to send us spiraling back to some of weezer's better days. The rhythm and tune keep us into it long enough to do some head bobbing while the song plays. Thumbs up.

2. The greatest man that ever lived:

This, I think, is quite easily the best song in the album. At first, the minute-thirty rap intro kinda gets on your nerves a bit. It's not weezer-ish, it's not all that skillful and it definitely feels out of place from the rest of the song. That being said, the song quickly shifts several gears and rips it straight into full speed (metaphorically speaking that is). The acoustic guitar intro which reads the following lyrics: "I am gonna tear down the wall....so you'd best be giving me your all" almost always sends shivers down my spine, which is followed up by some choir-like harmonics and then before you know it, quickly shifts gears into some heavy hitting riffs. It consistently shifts gears without really missing a beat at all. It's fucking epic! The best song in the album, and easily one of the best songs Weezer has ever done.

3. Pork and Beans: I heard this song when it first came out, but surprisingly I'd only seen the music video today and I gotta say, I loved it. The song itself is quite awesome. Mid-life crisis has never worked so well as it does here. This is Weezer, in a nut-shell, telling everyone to go fuck themselves (with lyrical nuance) that doesn't seem to get the fucking hint.

4. Heart songs:

This got quite poor reviews, and even though it's not weezer-like at all, I liked it. It has a fairly decent tune and never really misses a beat. Sure, it's not amazing, but it still holds its own. It's not like Cuomo's pandering to the masses; he's simply listing the influences that made Weezer the band that they've been. It has some corny lyrics, but overall, I say it's a winner.

5. Everybody get dangerous:

This has bits and pieces from Weezer's better days, and even though it doesn't sound like a typical weezer song, it is definitely not a terrible song. Words like "booyaah" somewhat annoy me, but even that word, specifically, does not ruin the chorus. Again, this song doesn't really miss a beat, so it's difficult to find too many faults with it. Again, I like it, thumbs up.

6. Dreamin'

This song is excellent. Again, like the greatest man alive, it switches gears (although not as frequently) well enough to not bore us. The lyrics are well-set and the pace follows succinctly with the rest of the song. It's not quite epic, but damn is it fucking good. I can't really say too much more about this song other than the fact that it's a huge winner.

7. Thought I knew

This song did not match the rest of the album. It feels off and even though it's well done for what it is, I don't like it all that much. It feels a bit weak and the fact that Cuomo isn't singing it, makes it even more repressed. The lyrics are trite and the song, generally, feels misplaced. I can't really say much more other than this is the weakest song in the album

8. Cold Dark world

I like the way this song begins. Despite the apparent rap-like rhythmic scale that is rather evident, I like the dark tone that sets the mood for the rest of the song. The main issue with this song that people had was that the lyrics were a bit too creepy for Weezer standards. Then what about "Across the sea"? Why did that song kick so much ass despite its inherently subtle yet provocative lyrics? I don't think the "creepiness" aspect is really a deterrent. I think the song on the whole is quite decent. It's nothing great, and you may well find yourself listening to the first few tracks more often, but that's not a bad thing.

9. Automatic

I like this song. The only thing is I feel it's somewhat been misplaced in the track listing. The fact that this song succeeds "cold dark world" makes me wonder if they really took enough time to do the track ordering themselves, or just simply placed the ordering on "automatic", so to speak. Eitherways, The song isn't the Weezer that we've come to know and love, but a different take on things. Overall, still good.

10. The Angel and the one

I am somewhat ambivalent towards this song. Lyrically, it's nothing amazing, but not terrible either. The sound doesn't really shift any gears and stays in the same key for most of the song. I guess it's one way to end off the song, but it left me wanting more. It also felt a bit sappy at times. I guess it's decent for what it is but again, what it is is something that I don't really care much for.


Overall, I didn't think this album was upto Weezer standards with regards to guitar efficiency and musical capabilities, but I definitely liked it. Then again, I also liked Make believe, which apparently a lot of people hated. I do think this album is significantly better though.

I give it 4/5 stars.