Review Summary: Rockin' Out Like It's 94
After the critical bomb
Raditude, and then the commercial bust
Hurley, things were looking grim for Weezer, but this wasn’t a new development. Fans have always dismissed their later works as spotty when compared to
The Blue Album and
Pinkerton. All their recent albums have had consistency issues with some tracks being fantastic (“Put Me Back Together”) to some tracks being the equivalent of musical waste (“The Girl Got Hot”), but this has all changed with their latest release
Everything Will Be Alright in the End produced by Ric Ocasek who produced
The Blue Album and
The Green Album. There isn’t a single hiccup throughout the album’s run time, meaning Weezer has finally delivered a record that both old and new fans can appreciate. Weezer fans around the globe rejoice!
“Go back to sleep honey everything will be alright in the end.”
The true opener to the album is “Back to the Shack”. This single gave cautious weezer fans an optimistic first look at the album, and the lyrics perfectly explain Weezer’s mission statement on
Everything Will Be Alright in the End. On this track, Rivers apologies for past mistakes, by going back to what made their older albums such successes: exuberant guitar riffs and guitar solos with sugary sweet choruses that get stuck in your head for days. But don’t get the wrong impression the song’s message is great but the music structurally is way too simple, like “Troublemaker” off of
The Red Album simple. The actual opener “Ain’t Got Nobody” is a blast with anthemic choruses and powerfully poppy guitar riffs, The guitar solo combined with Pat’s drumming is also a delightful addition halfway through the track. Overall it’s one of Weezer’s best songs, and a fantastic way to start off the record
There is a spark or energy on
Everything Will Be Alright in the End that hasn’t been apparent in years. With this new material it seems like Weezer is having a grand old time making tunes again. And you can’t help but to root for these underdogs, when everyone is constantly ***ting on their new material saying that they’ll never be able to create something as good as
Blue or
Pinkerton again, but Weezer showed them that’s for sure. Their new found joy in turn results in a fun listen that will have you putting the record on shuffle for days. Rivers and Brian Bell’s guitars sound works well for the different vibes each song is going for whether it be dynamic and sharp or plain and soft they always pulls through. And the solos are added bonus that really elevates the tracks to whole new levels. Guitar solos were sorely missed on Weezer’s last few records and this record makes up for it in spades. “The Trilogy” a show stopping closer really shows off Rivers and Brian’s talent, with intertwined guitar parts similar to those from “Only in Dreams” on
The Blue Album. The song’s grandiose sound and layered guitars really closes off the album on a high note, leaving Weezer’s future as bright as ever. Scott Shriner’s bass playing never really stands out, but the rhythms he creates are very solid. Pat’s drumming while simple is actually a far cry from their recent efforts, and the few moments when he’s center stage are brilliant.
River’s vocals have seemed to improve, or at least he shows off his vocal talents more than on previous records, especially with the ending of Part II of “The Trilogy”. Many of the choruses Rivers sings are very memorable like on “The British Are Coming” or on “Cleopatra”. His vocal delivery is sometimes in your face and it’s refreshing to see Rivers Cuomo come out of his shell. It gives us hope for a heavier or more aggressive sound from Weezer, when Rivers can pull off vocal parts like the ones on “The British Are Coming”. The vocal harmonies that track are golden, with River’s proudly utilizing his fantastic vocal range. Best Coast’s Bethany Consentino’s vocals on “Go Away” are great, especially when her and Rivers are singing in tandem over the chorus. Weezer should consider adding female vocals into the mix more often, the only other example of this is I Just Threw Out the Love of my Dreams, which would be considered a classic Weezer track if it had been on one of their records. The spoken word parts are a nice addition to the record that helps to support the main message. Lyrically the album is all over the place going into detail on the band’s current situation (“Back to the Shack”, “Eulogy For a Rock Band”, and “I’ve Had It Up To Here”), relationship problems (“Ain’t Got Nobody” and “Go Away”), forgiveness (“Foolish Father”) and a few other topics. The lyrics are interesting and very mature at least compared to songs off of their last few records, there are a few minor exceptions to this, but none of it is major enjoy to affect the overall enjoyment of the record.
Everything Will Be Alright In The End has given the band a second life. There isn’t a single bad song on the album, with some of the material being able to go toe to toe with tracks on
Blue and
Pinkerton. The only fault to be found is that there’s an occasional cheesy lyric, but that’s just nitpicking. By going back to the
Blue and
Green albums, Weezer has finally created a record that won’t pale in comparison to their early work. Tracks like “The Trilogy” and “The British Are Coming” show that Weezer can still mess with their original formula to stunning results. Cheers to another decade of Weezer!
