Album Review: Weezer (The Teal Album)

So, you may have heard Weezer's couple of Toto covers last year, one of which ('Africa', because of course) got the studio treatment. This cover actually turned out to be one of Weezer's more successful charting songs in about a decade. Not surprisingly, Weezer took this success and attempted to build on it by releasing an entire covers album a few days ago. This was also successful; successful in both breaking the fanbase in half and redefining the meaning of pointless.

While this album isn't the worst thing ever, it's nothing if not predictable. All the songs here have been covered to death, and are played so faithfully to the original (excluding some slightly more overdriven guitar or a different synth patch) that it practically borders on an album of karaoke. Rihanna's Tame Impala cover on Anti comes to mind. I'm not opposed to a covers album from Weezer, but I was hoping for some arrangements that were a little more adventurous and a little less paint by numbers. Plus, as if somebody doesn't know this by now, Rivers Cuomo is not the best singer. He could have tweaked some arrangements to more suit his incredibly limited range, or he could pass the vocals off to Brian Bell (his vocal turn on 'Paranoid' wasn't half bad).

Weezer has a tendency to kill any good will they accumulate as soon as they get it, following up their best album in at least 15 years (The White Album) with Pacific Daydream, and now with this uninspired covers record. For tips on how to do covers right in my opinion,check out Xiu Xiu's album of Nina Simone covers or the Ramones' Acid Eaters. You could still tell what the songs were, but they made them their own. Hopefully, The Black Album has a little bit more effort put into it than this. This reeks to me of a band playing into a meme for some quick press and a few cheap streams.

Honestly, if I went into this album and picked it apart track by track, I'd be putting more effort into this record than Weezer did. It's ok for the band to have fun, but maybe you could let the listeners (aka the reason you're famous) in on some of the fun by, I don't know, trying to entertain?



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Albums in My Life: 1997

For the majority of 1997, I was six years old. I was in first and second grade during this time, and honestly can't remember much. A lot of these albums are still from discovering them later, but musical memories are starting to enter my experience.


Chumbawamba- Tubthumper
As a kid, 'Tubthumping' was pretty much inescapable. For people that weren't there, I can assure you, it happened. I really gained an appreciation for the album as a whole, as well as the entire anarcho punk Chumbawamba oeuvre, much later, but 'Tubthumping' was immediate and catchy as hell. It's such a weird hit to have, and the fact that I see it on a lot of worst songs ever lists is baffling to me. I am surprised it got popular in the US though; with the weird soccer chants, 'Danny Boy' diversion, and subject of getting pissed at the pub, it's a quintessentially British song. Maybe that's why it never confused me, having a English grandmother.



Modest Mouse- The Lonesome Crowded West
I first heard Modest Mouse around 2004, when 'Float On' came out. I had only heard that song, and thought that's what they were. Only later did I look back and discover this album. This record really sparks a wanderlust in me, and I really want to take a road trip every time I hear it. There's also something about this album that makes me a little sad too, almost like nostalgia for something I lost. 'Bankrupt on Selling' really gets me feeling that way. I like other Modest Mouse albums, but this one is the only one that instills that feeling in me.




of Montreal- Cherry Peel
One of my favorite bands' humble beginnings. I really enjoy the super lo fi aesthetic, whimsical tone and obvious Beatles homage. Also, the song topics are super weird. Plus, for 1997, the material for a pop record was pretty forward thinking. For evidence of that, just take a listen to 'Tim, I Wish You Were Born a Girl'.  Kevin Barnes would definitely explore more sexually charged topics later in his career, but for the next few records, of Montreal is a little more twee and chasted than they would be in the late 2000s.




Radiohead- Ok Computer


As I might have stated previously, I was a hold out with Radiohead, and still don't enjoy much Radiohead beyond this record. But, this record to me was probably their pinnacle; their most cohesive statement, and, about 22 years later as of this writing, as relevant as ever, if not more so. Technology really does rule everything we do, and in exchange for convenience, we really have sacrificed a lot of our personal freedoms. It has a lot of my favorite Radiohead songs as well. Both 'Exit Music (for a Film)' and 'Fitter, Happier' are beautiful, in their own way, even though the latter manages to make sad and creeped out in equal measure.





Sleater Kinney- Dig Me Out
I was a little bit too young to hear Sleater Kinney when they were first around, but having discovered them later, it's interesting that there's still not a band quite like them. The closest comparisons I can make is if Lush's Lovelife were way more intense and the guitar interplay were dialed up to eleven. This is probably their most accessible release, but it's still pretty raw and chaotic. I find myself getting lost in the intensity, but if you focus, you can really hear how the guitar lines weave in and out and compliment each other, in a more ferocious Moby Grape kind of way.



So, those are my picks for 1997. Check back in later for the albums from 1998 that really affected my life.

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Year End 2018: Top 10 Favorite Albums of the Year

So, now well into 2019, I am finally prepared to share my favorite albums of 2018. It wasn't so much me holding out to wait for the whole year to pass, but more sloth and working on the previous year end posts. Feel free to share your list in the comments, but also remember: this is my list and will not be reflective of your taste.


10. Fred Thomas- Aftering
This is probably Fred Thomas' least hopeful sounding release yet, and, I believe, his first to be released since moving from Michigan to Montreal. He still has a way of making his pretty personal songwriting universally identifiable, and this time he's not alone. With a number of collaborators, including tour mate Anna Burch, he spins yarns about nostalgia, missed opportunity, depression, and small town toxicity.





9. Lily Allen- No Shame
A much more laid back for Allen, this album is a reflection of her last few years, from divorce to struggles with the press. Lily Allen's lyrics always have a little more wit than your typical pop star, and I think that's why I keep coming back to her music. As I said before, this record has a little bit more of reserved tone, eschewing the very loud electronic dance sound of Sheezus for more minimal beats, resembling some trap influenced R&B, but obviously with much more versatility. I even got my wish and heard a partial return to her ska and reggae influenced sound on a few tracks.



8. A$AP Rocky- Testing
A$AP Rocky is a master of flow. While what he's saying might not be the most interesting or game changing, his flows always make how he's saying it worth hearing. Testing also lives up to its name, with the beat selection and song structuring taking a pretty experimental and scattershot approach, which may not make for the most cohesive record, but it keeps you on your toes, and a certain sound never has time to overstay its welcome. And it also contains one of my most played jams of 2018 in 'Tony Tone'. Everything about that song, from the beat to the flow, seem tailor made to make you nod your head and vibe.



7. Sleep- The Sciences
The stoner metal titans return after a long radio silence with a set of tracks that made it sound like they never left. A surprise drop on 4/20 (the date is not that surprising) from Third Man Records of all labels, this record is the first proper follow up to their magnum opus, Dopesmoker. It's still just as heavy, although a little less high concept (six tracks instead of one massive suite) and possibly a little more driving. There's been a resurgence of stoner metal bands putting out new records in recent years (Electric Wizard, Bongripper etc.) but I think this record marks the best entry to the genre in a while.



6. Sun Kil Moon- This is My Dinner
It's always interesting to check in with Mark Kozelek and see what he's been up to. With an incredibly prolific output, it's always possible to hear recent stories and always have a wealth of material to listen to (there's a new collaborative solo record coming out in the coming months). Kozelek continues his long winded, incredibly detailed story telling here, and like most records since Benji, I quite enjoyed it. You'd think laboring over minutia for a 10 minute long track would get boring, but amazingly enough, it remains remarkably fresh.



5. Kids See Ghosts- Kids See Ghosts
While ye was scattershot and flawed in its approach, Kanye's collaborative project with Kid Cudi was a massive success. The duo really bring out the best in each other, and this was Kanye's best project since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Cudi's best since his debut album. When I heard there was a Kurt Cobain sample in this thing, I got scared I was going to get more Speedin' Bullet to Heaven, but luckily, this was far from the case. The instrumentals were great and the handling of mental illness in the lyrics was a lot more tasteful than on ye.




4. Earl Sweatshirt- Some Rap Songs
Earl Sweatshirt has matured a lot as a rapper and artist since his debut mixtape, and seems to be an almost new person every time he comes out with a new project. However, one thing is always constant: he can rap ridiculously well. He leaves the agoraphobic and misanthropic tone of his last album for raps detailing his anxiety and grief at the loss of his father. While it deals with some pretty heavy themes, it's somehow more hopeful that his previous offering. The instrumentals are also completely different; looping psychedelic swirling samples to get lost in replace the incredibly dark beats. I'm really excited to see what he does next, especially since he's now free from his record contract.



3. Zu93- Mirror Emperor
I debated putting this or Current 93's proper album The Light is Leaving Us All on this list, but in the end, I thought this album was a little more instrumentally varied.This is David Tibet's collaborative album with the Italian experimental group Zu. Tibet always does his thing with the lyrics, adding more poetry to his ever growing musical world, while Zu provide instrumental accompaniment ranging from pseudo neofolk, string arrangements, to more noisy fare. I hope this isn't a one off like Myrninerest of Hypnopazuzu, and I hear more from this group again.



2. JPEGmafia- Veteran
Jpegmafia is a rapper and producer that still manages to make hip hop experimental in 2018. Imagine if Death Grips were less interested in making noise, had more to say besides plagiarizing Nietzsche, and had more technical rapping ability. This album could only exist in the age of the internet, and is obsessed with meme culture, online political ranting, and the like. I find the viewpoint Peggy has is very interesting to learn about on record, and its always good to hear an opinionated artist that actually has something new to say, especially in a genre as over saturated as hip hop.



1. Panopticon- The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness
Austin Lunn probably succeeded in creating the folk black metal album to end all folk black metal albums. A sprawling 2 disc, 4 LP album, this project splits the folk and black metal into two halves, but with Panopticon, its more like two sides of the same coin. This album is the culmination of what albums like Kentucky and Autumn Eternal merely hinted at with interludes and ambient intros. Here the folk gets just as much time on the record, and really shows Lunn's versatility as a performer and songwriter. He can write folk tunes, but also ramp up the distortion and create a triumphant black metal opus with the best of them.




So, those are my picks. Now, back to the albums in my life series. Next time, 1997.



"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."