While in Weezer, Matt Sharp was the yin to Rivers Cuomo’s yang. While Cuomo was singing songs about heartbreak and love and hiding behind his thick-rimmed glasses, Sharp was running around stage acting like an idiot, yelling and looking as though he was having the time of his life. After the release and success of The Blue Album, Sharp decided to start the Rentals to play songs similar in nature to Weezer’s pure honesty, but with some added factors: a Moog Synthesizer, and violinist/female vocalist, Petra Haden.
With the first song “The Love I’m Searching For”, it becomes apparent that this is not the Matt Sharp we are used to as wind blows and Sharp sings softly over it “I don’t think/I’ll find the love I want/The love I’m searching for/In this machine, no” then he is joined by Haden in “bum-bum-bum-ing” to the first full verse of non-sense lyrics, however, the next two minutes are filled with singing and music so catchy, it doesn’t seem to matter what Sharp and Haden are singing cause you want to sing along too. Then it stops for a couple seconds to give way to a brief violin solo, but the listener is then thrown back in to the catchy chorus once more, then the song ends. 4.5/5
The next song “Waiting” comes in a little faster-paced and not quite as catchy as its predecessor, but making a bit more sense. Sharp sings about waiting on a girl. When the bridge slows down a little bit, Haden stretches out the word “Waiting” and it happens to be one of the highlights of the album as it adds some beauty to an otherwise mediocre song. 3.5/5
Next is the single off the album, “Friends of P.” This, too, begins with Haden “OO-OO-OO-ing” and Sharp vouching that he is a “good guy for a gal”. Then some very catchy synth lines are thrown at the listener, which leads into another nonsense chorus, but because of the amazing catchiness of the instruments, it doesn’t matter and it can’t be helped to sing along. 4/5
Next is “Move On”, which seems sort of like the hangover to “Friends of P.” The music is very solemn for the first minute and a half with a lingering of synth in the air, and some light cymbals. Sharp sings about getting up and moving because he feels unneeded and he just wants to get away. After a minute and a half the distortion comes in, but the song is still very beautiful due to Haden’s singing of “Mooooo-ve on”. It can get very tedious, but Haden’s voice is very moving (no pun intended), which makes you think before skipping. 3.5/5
“Please Let That Be You” kicks right in after its predecessor. Despite the fast tempo this song is also very solemn and the most heartfelt on the album. The chorus contains some very catchy synth riffs and is also full of distortion. This would make a very good single, and is the catchiest track on the album. 5/5
“My Summer Girl” kicks in with a funky guitar riff, and some very upbeat drums, that seem to contrast with the solemn singing of Sharp. You can feel the pain, with a slight bit of hope, in Sharp’s voice when he sings “I know I’m not your type/I know I’m not your type/I’ll never be your type” which is then followed by the ascending/descending bridge, which happens fits the content of the song perfectly, as Sharp sings about his relationship with the girl, and how it all suddenly falls apart as soon as it started. However, it is still a pretty mediocre song. 3/5
“Brilliant Boy” is mediocre, at best. The lyrics are just too immature and the singing lacks passion. The drum beat is boring and there is no good guitar or synth work. 1/5
“Naïve” is a pretty upbeat and very relatable as Sharp sings that he feels “My friends were right/should have played it smooth/should have tried to lie/instead of being true.” The listener is thrown for a loop as the song speeds up and ends on a powerful note 3/5
In “These Days” Sharp confesses some of his flaws in the song, giving it more of a personal feel. The music is upbeat and the bridge features a violin solo, as is one of the trademarks of the album. 3.5/5
“Sweetness & Tenderness” completes the album. Like “Move On” it is very quiet with Sharp almost whispering the verses, but at 1:30, the distortion and drums kick in, and this trend continues for each verse and the distortion comes in for the chorus. The like the use of quotes in the lyrics and Haden’s singing is also very strong. This ends the album on a very strong note. 4.5/5
Pros
-Matt Sharp finally gets to be the lead of a band
-Petra Haden could sing any verse and make it sound beautiful
-Violin solos!
Cons
-Second half is very weak
-Too much distortion
-No audible bass, Sharp’s instrument
This is a great listen to anybody that likes Weezer and wants to know more about Matt Sharp. It has the weirdness and absurdity quality expected from Matt Sharp, but still manages to be heartfelt. Overall I give it a 3.5/5 because of the weak second half.
