Review Summary: Weird, but really good.
This album is Weezer's sixth, and it is really good. They've sort of gone back to their roots in this and it sounds nice. The only thing that is bad about this is a couple of off songs, the other band members singing in this, and the lack of guitar solos. I will go into deeper detail now.
1. Troublemaker - The second single for this album, It's a fairly catchy song with a nice rhythm to it. The beginning riff may remind people of their earlier single, "The Good Life." Rivers Cuomo says that his influence for this song was Eminem and for a good reason. He almost raps on this track as he goes back to the days when he sings about partying by himself because he's such a special guy. This is pretty good. 5/5
2. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn) - Perhaps one of the most interesting songs Weezer has have ever created, it starts out with a piano and a crowd. Soon, you hear a police siren blares and begins as a rap song about this guy who is great almost to a god level. This has probably been said already, but this sounds a bit like Queen. Really Great song. 5/5
3. Pork and Beans - This song will probably remind most people of The Blue Album. After the simple guitar riff, it goes to Rivers singing about how he has to dress to impress the kids and act younger. But the chorus takes a sharp left, talking about he "doesn't give a hoot about what you think." This song is really good. 5/5
4. Heart Songs - After three great songs in a row, you would think that there might be some type of decline for the next few songs. Instead of a gradual decline, this is extremely unexpected. This is an acoustic song about Rivers singing about his heart songs. If the premise of the song sounds bad, you shouldn't write it. I would never think Weezer could be this bad. 2/5
5. Everybody Get Dangerous - I thought Heart Songs was bad, but this song is much worse. Although this song has fairly interesting drums, everything else about this song is wrong, down to Rivers rapping (which was good in the other songs), to Brian singing "Boo-Yah!" This song feels like filler and although this may appeal to people who haven't heard Weezer before, The fans will not like this. 1.5/5
6. Dreamin' - This song also goes back to The Blue Album, with the uplifting guitars and Rivers' clean singing. This song takes an unexpected turn when it goes to the "Dream Sequence," where it's just Brian singing with birds and faint guitars. Then it picks up the pace and goes back to beginning, albeit at a much slower speed. 4.5/5
7. Thought I Knew - This song has Brian singing alone on a song that sounds absolutely nothing like Weezer. I don't get it. Although it sounds like a nice song, it really messes up the flow of the album. This song would have been better on Brian's own band, "The Relationship" or a B-Side. 2.5/5
8. Cold Dark World - Most people think that this is the worst song on the album, but I strongly disagree. I like Scott's voice, and I think it's almost on the level of Rivers'. I still don't understand the angriness of his voice on this track or his obsession with "sexing" people. But overall, it's a pretty good song. 4.5/5
9. Automatic - This song is helmed by Pat Wilson, the band's drummer. He has a softer voice than the rest and this song has a really nice vibe. Pat and Rivers switch instruments on this track, making Rivers drum and Pat play the guitar. It has a nice result. Rivers' drumming is fairly interesting and Pat's guitar playing is exceptional. The song's chorus has a nice rock fell to it. Also, this song has a guitar solo, which is rare on this album. 5/5
10. The Angel and The One - On my first few listens, I would dismiss this as a sissy song, but after continuous hearings, this track became significantly better. It starts out with a barely audible guitar and Rivers almost whispering. With each verse, the song gets a little more stronger and a little bit more confident and his singing gets louder, too. At the climax of the song, Rivers is nearly shouting, with the instruments more in the background. After the "Peace Shalom" part of the song, two minutes of meaningless fadeout is present. Nice track. 5/5
11. Miss Sweeney - This track goes back to Pinkerton. Although the verses of this song sound a little weird, The chorus goes back to the yearning and longing of that previous album, with Rivers singing about wanting a girl for the first time in many years. 5/5
12. Pig - This song also goes back to Pinkerton, too. As the title states, it's about a Pig and this pig's life. When it reaches the climax, it reminds many of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, particularly the Mama part. Overall, it's a good song. 5/5
13. The Spider - This song may appeal to some people, but it doesn't really stand out for most. It's a pretty good song. 3/5
14. King - One of my favorites on the album, this song has Scott singing this song. It's about treating women right and not being disrespectful to them, which is important to me. And his singing is great and when Rivers comes in, magic happens. This is an awesome track 5/5
This album is really good. The majority of songs are amazing, but the few songs really disrupt the flow of the album. And the other band members singing may deter some people from it.
