Review Summary: This is beginning to hurt...
Pinkerton simultaneously built up and destroyed Rivers Cuomo.
Weezer were top of the indie rock scene after the release of the debut self titled album. Thrown into the limelight with the massive success of the 'Buddy Holly' single and its iconic music video, the four piece now had to set their sights on a follow up. Bored and lonely for he endless touring, Rivers set out to write Weezer's next album. A radical departure from the pop punk radio friendly sound of their debut. He envisioned a rock opera, set in outer space about a spaceship captain and his romantic woes. He called it Songs From The Black Hole. It was an ambitious idea, with multiple suites planned, spoken word interludes and characters voiced by Cuomo himself, Band mates Brian Bell and Matt Sharp and even Rachel Haden of That Dog and Joan Wasser of the Dambuilders to voice the two female leads. The record was written and demoed fully by Cuomo, who planned on recording the album after touring ceased.
It was never meant to be. Touring had taken a toll on Cuomo. He had grown disillusioned with the rock star life. Everything he had idolized and desired as a teenager, playing in a hair metal band, had been given to him. The fame, the success, the popularity, the groupies and the sex. The illusion of it all fell down. Deep down, Cuomo was alone. And he was scared. Indeed, this was his reasoning for enrolling into Harvard to study classical composition. His acceptance essay was a letter, simply explaining his hatred of the rock and roll life style. Expecting a class exploring classical music, Cuomo became dogged down by endless essays and homework, leaving him with very little time to record with the band. Stuck in his room, he passed the time listening to Madama Butterfly, a classical opera by Puccini, based off the short story of the same name. Cuomo was enticed by the heartbreak and emotion of the opera, telling the story of a young Japanese girl who fathers a child of an American sailor named Pinkerton and the turmoil that follows. Furthermore, he was undergoing intensely painful surgery to correct one of his legs, shorter than the other. Now dragging around a corrective brace on his leg, drowsy and spaced out from the medication and his mental state greatly deteriorating, Cuomo scrapped Songs From The Black Hole. It was "too whimsical" according to the man himself. Cuomo decided that instead of a sprawling concept album, Weezer's next album would be a down to earth (excuse the pun), more emotional record than SFTBH. Dropping out of Harvard and returning to Weezer, the band set out on recording, with a few new tracks penned by Cuomo.
From those sessions, Pinkerton was born, sporting a more aggressive, rougher sound and Pained and desperate lyrics. It flopped. Hard. Rolling stone dubbed it one of the worst records of the year, fans despised it. The lead single 'El Scorcho' alienated many with its surreal guitar sound and messy sound. People turned their backs on Weezer. Even the most positive review was incredibly mixed. Rivers was crushed. The record he had poured his heart and soul into, his most emotional and personal work yet, had been rejected. Later in the year, the heads of the Weezer fan club and very close friends of the band, Mykel and Carli Allen died in a car accident on the way back from a show. Rivers lost it. Vanishing off the face of the earth, he spent the next 5 years isolated in his apartment, perfecting ideal Pop rock songs. He feared commercial and critical rejection again. When Weezer reemerged in 2001 with the Green Album, the emotion was gone. It was perfectly marketable pop rock. No soul. No life. Recently, Pinkerton has undergone a resurgence in popularity. Now praised for its honest lyrics and aggressive sound, it's often considered Weezer's best album and a defining Emo album.
Regardless of the turmoil behind the record, how does it fair today? In short, it's still a masterpiece. While not as finely tuned and polished as their debut, Pinkerton makes up for the lack of slick production with a fitting brutal sound to match Cuomo's lyrics. Beneath the screechs of guitar feedback and thundering drums, There is a sad and isolated man. The opener 'Tired Of Sex' is an aggressive tour de force, backed with Cuomo's agonizing screams and a hellishly good solo. The (sadly rather short) track 'Why Bother?' Lays down excellent bass work for Matt Sharp and crunchy chords. 'The Good Life' blends goofy yet charming lyrics with an explosive chorus and some lovely harmonies. Lead single 'El Scorcho' tracks a wandering guitar lead with wild shrill cries from the band and massive stadium-like Chorus and penultimate track 'Falling For You' showcases one of Cuomo's most technical guitar solos. The finale 'Butterfly' is a delicate acoustic number, spouting bitter but sorrowful lyrics. The real centerpiece of the record is 'Across The Sea'. While at first, the lyrics can come off as a rather TMI, detailing Rivers' fantasizing about an 18 year old Japanese fan who sent in some fan mail, the sheer raw emotion of the lyrics and Rivers' delivery, sounding as if he's about to break down in tears make this the highlight of the record.
In short, Pinkerton is a wonderful record. At times chalk full of goofy humor and slick playing, before transitioning to soul crushing anger and sadness laden with angsty singing and furious playing. It's a rollercoaster of an album. One that never hits a low. In short, a masterpiece
Selected songs:
Tired Of Sex
Getchoo
Why Bother?
Across the Sea
El Scorcho
Falling For You
Selected lyrics:
'I can't believe how bad I suck it's true. What could you possibly see in lil' ol' three chord me!?' - Falling For You
'I could never touch you, I think it would be wrong. I've got your letter, you've got my song' - Across The Sea
'Yesterday I went outside, with my mother's Mason jar, caught a lovely butterfly. When I woke up today, looked in on my Fairy pet, she had withered all away, no more sighing in her breast' - Butterfly
