Pinkerton
Maladroit
Weezer�s debut has reached a semi mythical status among legions of kids who were born in the 80s. For the most part this praise is well deserved as the songs here are all average to above average pop songs with wicked awesome POWER CHORDS that help to ratchet the excitement level up to heavenly levels. As you can tell by that last sentence, this album has worked its charms on me as it was one of only a handful of cds that I owned and played the hell out of at a more innocent time of my life. Sadly, Rivers Cuomo has become the emo icon for millions of perpetually snotty and bitchy kids which has helped to tarnish this legacy.
Most of the songs on the album can be listed as highlights depending on what you consider to be honey to your ears. The songs can be divided into awesome songs, great songs, and then ok songs. Of course the smash hit �Buddy Holly� is in the awesome category as are �Say It Aint So,� �The World Has Turned and Left Me Here,� and �No One Else.� Really now, who doesn�t want a girl that laughs for no one else? That when you are away she puts her makeup on the shelf? (Headbangs like a dork even though he has a Phil Collins album playing). Oh where was I... yeah �In the Garage� manages to be lyrically funny yet oddly profound and meaningful to people who have no life (such as I) and the last song �Only In Dreams� is an epic (7 Minutes in power chord pop!) for Weezer�s standard, hazy sounding song about...well dancing at a prom I suppose. All I know is that I tend to nod off whenever I listen to it, but I still like it. In fact, well placed hooks infiltrate every one of these songs except one yet mentioned, the semi hit �Undone- The Sweater Song� which for some reason many people seem to go nuts over but to me it acts like a dead weight and it�s smack dab in the middle of the record just to piss me off. Bah but all sunshine makes a desert or something, so that can�t really detract from what is really a great album of tunes. Or so my nostalgia tells me. And Nostalgia is what pushes this grade up higher than what it probably deserves.
Final Comment: Hmm I think everyone owns this by now so any review is kind of just telling people what they already know. A very well done disc of sweet pop tunes that will either be awesome or just ok depending on when you were born. Actually my favorite Weezer song isn�t on this album but came out shortly after on the Mallrats soundtrack. That song? �Suzanne� check it out, it freaking rules. Suck it emo kids!
Score: ****
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