IN REVIEW: Weezer - S/T (aka White Album)

Like many fans, I have a complicated relationship with Weezer. As the less angsty, kind of nerdy answer to the deluge of sullen, mostly disingenuous alt-rock groups of the mid-'90s, Weezer mounted a distinct counterattack, concentrated more on fun tunes and charm than brooding and self loathing. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and I may be one of the decade's staunchest supporters, but Weezer were the breath of fresh air that offered respite when all that angst and darkness became suffocating.

Which made it all the more disappointing when the '00s came around and Weezer became the textbook definition of "diminishing returns". Their second self-titled record (or "Green") was a valiant effort, but it was followed by the grumpy bro-rock of Maladroit, the wispy, meditative Make Believe, the scattered and disjointed "red" album, and the sad, desperate attempt at mainstream relevance that was Raditude. Needless to say, not a great decade's work.

By the time Hurley dropped in 2010, interest had waned to an all-time low and, after taking a step back, Weezer finally refocused their efforts on 2014's Everything Will Be Alright in the End, a decent record whose main offence was being a little too on the nose with its nostalgic intentions. Still, it came with the promise of better things ahead rather than reiterations of past disappointments.

White Album is the product of that promise, and more or less delivers on it. What's perhaps most striking is the consistency of the record, which is largely free of deviations in style; this allows for a cohesive listen, and one that winds up being virtually filler-free. That means even the album's low spots have at least a little merit. Take lead single Thank God for Girls, which upholds Weezer's recent tradition of "release one of the worst songs first"; it's a little weird thanks to Rivers Cuomo's oddball lyrics (which I've decided not to bother analyzing for the greater good), but its chorus is huge, fiery and inviting. Say what you will about them, they know hooks.

This record is full of them, mostly calling back to not just Weezer's heyday but to power pop giants of the past. Given the record's California theme, it only makes sense that there are plenty of Beach Boys allusions here, although they're filtered through the '90s crunch filter for maximum impact. There's perhaps no greater example of this than King of the World, which piles on both the guitars and the charm. It's easily Weezer's best single in over a decade in terms of overall quality. That's followed closely by the swinging ballad L.A. Girlz, the fleet and sunny California Kids and the soaring mid-tempo Wind in Our Sail. Not everything hits the sweet spot, but nothing approaches the eye-rolling territory of, say, Can't Stop Partying or Heart Songs.

Throughout, Weezer incorporate lots of added flavour to the tunes in the form of pianos, percussion, and plenty of harmony vocals. This adds to the feeling of the record as a whole and keeps the flashbacks from becoming too vivid. This added instrumentation is largely missing from Do You Wanna Get High?, which is great for fans of Pinkerton but makes it a bit of a sore thumb by default on this record. Still, it's not such a wild detour as to be embarrassing and, truth be told, taken by itself it's a pretty great track; it just doesn't quite fit the context of the album.

When it's 2016 and your biggest gripe about a Weezer record is that one of the songs is a bit different, it's safe to say something has gone right. I feel like I have to put this one through the "cruising with the windows down" test before passing final judgment (as I write this, it's -4ºC in New Brunswick, so that's a no), but White Album seems tailor made for summers no matter where they occur. Is it perfect? Of course not. Is it Weezer's best album? Nope. What it is, though, is the best album conflicted Weezer fans like me could have hoped for at this point in their long and checkered career.

April 1, 2016 • Crush/Atlantic

Highlights King of the World • California Kids • Do You Wanna Get High?