Review by LarryG
3 stars out of 4
Weezer's debut had the energy and enthusiasm of four regular
guys who were just happy to be playing the music they loved. The
record, produced by Ric Ocasek of the Cars, is fun, raw garage rock.
The guys can play. The music sounds like the band has spent hundreds
of hours practicing, getting their sound together. Buddy Holly was
justifiably a hit. The band creates a big sound with Brian Bell and
Rivers Cuomo's meaty power chords. Cuomo's lyrics about standing
together with his girl, picturing them as idealized classic versions
of themselves(Buddy Holly and Mary Tyler Moore) are really sweet. The
song has nice flourishes, like a sprinkling of cheesy keyboards(which
foreshadow Matt Sharp's later work with the Rentals) and Bell's rock
star solo, but nothing slows the song's great momentum. Weezer has a
fairly huge cult following and a big reason is that the band comes
across as people not much different from their fans. In the Garage is
the fun story of a nerd who can escape a mocking world in his musical
sanctuary. On Undone(the Sweater song) the pain Cuomo's girlfriend
has caused him seems real as she watches him unravel. The emotion is
matched by the cool guitar noise on the chorus. Say It Ain't So has
even more contrast. The verses are delivered deadpan. The choruses
explode with rageful power chords. Throughout their debut record, the
band seems to be having a good time. Surf Wax America, their silly,
fast rocking update of a Beach Boys song about surfing to work is
giddy fun.
Weezer is good rock, fun and unpretentious. It has fun with
guitar noise but always has a great sense of melody. Weezer's next CD,
Pinkerton was also quite good. It is filled with big rockers and
better produced. The band tried to be more adult, but still had a
sense of fun. Pinkerton wasn't nearly as successful. Obviously,
listeners prefered the innocent charm of the debut.
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