Weezer “Raditude” Review

Released November 2, 2009

My Review:

It’s notoriously hard to review Weezer albums. Especially for me, a late-comer to the original Weezer phenomenon. I enjoyed their tunes growing up on the radio, but didn’t hear the entire Blue album until I was near college. It was quite a stunning piece of work, and one of my top 10 favorites probably of all time. I never got into Pinkerton, but I really enjoyed the Green album. Each album after the first was quite different, and none as good as Blue to me. They started going downhill the past few years, but I thought the Red album recently was a recovery.

So I enjoyed the single “I Want You To (see video below) and nabbed the recent Raditude release. I have to admit I cannot exactly tell what they were trying to do here. As always with Weezer, they balance a fine line between satire and actually being what they’re making fun of.

However, there are quite a few catchy tunes, but none on par with any of my previous favorites. The defining song of the album is “Can’t Stop Partying” which features pop star Lil’ Wayne. It’s relatively catchy, and obviously a parody of some kind, but it’s not clever enough to figure out the point. So it fails as both in the end, similar to the album.The bonus track on iTunes “Story of My Life” is probably the closest thing to Weezer of old as you’ll get.

Weezer, whose lyrics were once much less tongue in cheek and captured the raw emotion of growing up..never seemed to be able to catch the raw emotion of actually being grown up. Perhaps they have been describing what life is like in stardom, but that’s a far place from the “Garage.” And maybe that’s the point, and perhaps I just don’t get it. Either way, it’s an album that will get a few spins in the car, at the gym, and working on projects..but will quickly fade away. You’ll like what you hear, but won’t learn any new insights, and sometimes cringe at the lyrics.

Not their worst effort, but for a band that can do more, in a sense it is. It sounds as if you’ve heard all these songs before..but not on a good album. The Blue album still rolls through the playlist from time to time, but in ten years I don’t imagine any of these songs will still be playing for me, and they definitely won’t help me remember anything similar to real life. And I guess that’s always what I want Weezer to do. I’ve got enough pop songs on my iTunes and I don’t need anyone to tell me how shallow they are, just write something better.

and a half out of 5 stars

Best Songs – I’m Your Daddy, (If You’re Wondering if I Want You To) I Want You To, Can’t Stop Partying, The Story of My Life (Bonus Track).

Other Reviews on the Net:

411 Mania (2.5 rating – Very Bad) the same riffs we’ve heard a thousand times before, the same cliche lyrics we’ve heard a thousand times before, and a bunch of hooks that don’t stick with the listener past the first couple of listens.

Pop Matters (1 out of 10 stars) Raditude is not art. It’s not a serious rock album nor is it a collection disposably fun songs. No, Raditude is product. Coldly calculated, joyless product that is designed to be sold, not to be enjoyed. As a Weezer album, it is nothing short of a profound disappointment.

Spin (3 out of 5 stars) Old-school Weezer fans won’t like it, and neither will blog-rock acolytes. But that’s the point. Raditude is the murderous revenge of the middlebrow.