WIUX

Weezer is back in 2008 with a decidedly strong identity crisis. On the “Red” album, Rivers Cuomo blends the classic Weezer form of chugging, quirky pop songs with new, more ambitious compositions. “Pork and Beans” shines as a memoir of the “Blue” album sound, while “Troublemaker” hits and quits with a youthful energy. But Weezer’s increased ambitions eventually become too much, as a lack of focus on “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” drowns the listener in a circus-like cluster of confusion and overwhelming dynamic switches. Too many times on “Red”, the band finds itself creating a charismatic spunk and then wasting it with overproduction. The lyrics are simple and hopeful, but the highly polished guitars and complicated progressions bog down on the fun. At least Cuomo knows that sharing is caring, as Guitarist Brian Bell sings on the self-written gem “Thought I Knew,” a tune that Cuomo could take a cue from in terms of the theory that “less is more.” Weezer deserves credit for feeding their appetite for more grandiose music, but simplistic genius is what made Weezer influential to so many dorky delinquents in the mid-nineties. The “Red” album isn’t overly bad or good, but perhaps Weezer’s greatest struggle is dealing with the idea of knowing that their brightest diamond is behind them.

Review by: Drew Kincius