Man with a Megaphone:

On Tuesday Oct. 2o Weezer drops another new song off of their upcoming album Raditude

Review will be up that same day!

Thanks, I know this has been inconsistent in posting.

Tons of stuff will be out this weekend and early next week!

thanks!

Since Raditude Weezer’s seventh LP became available for pre-order via itunes. and a wonderful fan pack was released where you pay $19.99 and get the deluxe version of the record, plus each week get two songs(one from the album and a b-side) The first set includes new album track “I’m Your Daddy,” and a cover of the Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go,”   Since midnight the internet has been a buzz with both praise and disgust over Raditude, basing their feeling off of 30 second clips, which to me makes no sense, because you can’t get a good sense of song with 30 seconds, It’s just impossible.

Let’s talk about “I’m Your Daddy,” first-  a song that honestly came as a surprise to me when I heard the drum machine to start the song. The song is fun and catchy and filled with synth. It’s not as strong of a song as “(If Your Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To,” which is in my humble opinion a phenomenal song.  ”I’m Your Daddy,” really keeps up my hopes in a solid record that fits together and really is just going to be a fun record, and honestly thats all I am expecting from Weezer is a fun record that can be put on and you can rock out. “I’m Your Daddy,” is a sugary sweet pop song that really grows with each listen. It’s probably going to be the weakest song off of Raditude and that is great. The breakdown in this song is amazing.  I definitely think they made a great choice as going with “I Want You To.” as a lead single.

So now on to Raditude; it’s not the Blue Album, it’s not Pinkerton. And although “I Don’t Want To Let You Go,” will have the emotional connection that people loved with Pinkerton,  most of the record will be just a fun pop-rock record. There will be some guitar solos, there will be some really nerdy lyrics, there will be some killer deluxe version tracks, all in all I have high hopes for the record.

I‘ll review Raditude with open ears and an unbiased perspective. I mean I will be the first to admit the Red Album is my least favorite Weezer record, although I liked the risks they took in making it.

The thing is I’m not going to attempt to review a record based on thirty second samples(like many people seem to be doing).

I will however  review each song as they come out in the fan pack and then review the record is properly is released.

Until then I’ll be enjoying the hell out of the first two songs off of  Raditude.

Note: The Rentals(featuring Matt Sharp, former bassist of Weezer)  final ep “The Future” in the Songs About Time Project will be released on Oct 2oth. If you haven’t listened to the first two eps, do that now.

Songs About Time

“I conquered my own childhood silence and now the world is my lit                                                                 confessional Marquee“

Yoni Wolf and co. that compose the  Bay Area based band Why? wrote and recorded two records last year.

The darkly humorous and harsh Alopecia, which was released last year and quickly became the band’s biggest success. One that would be best described as the lyrical content that might be found in an insecure heart broken vegan’s journal. the music was a mix between the harsh sounds of indie rock and the subtleness of underground hip-hop and everything in between. It was a great record that showcased a band that was finding its skin  and it’s voice.

The second record they recorded was Eskimo Snow(released 9/22) and it couldn’t be more drastically different. Gone is the hip-hop, replaced by some of the most melodic and intimate sounds. The lyrics of course are still from the same place- “They say sex can keep you young and make you older at the same time, They say sex will let you age normally, I guess it’s kind of like smoking and walking at the same time.” as sung on the song “Into The Shadows Of My Embrace”  The music still wanders between various styles(less harshly) on the ten songs.

Still it’s hard to believe that these ten songs came from out of the same time period as Alopecia, The emotion found in both the lyrics and the melody seem to be coming from such a different place. However it just goes to show the potential this band  has.  The lyrics are amazing -

“In time, in the bathroom mirror I learned to accept my body” (from “One Rose”)

“I want to operate from a place of hunger, no longer be ashamed and hide my tears in shower water” (from “The Blackest Purse”)

“All my words for sadness, like eskimo snow on unmanned passes all planted for threes in a field for living trees, are hummed as prayers in secret, then sung through speakers for people to hear it.” (From “Eskimo Snow”)

Musically, the ten songs that make up Eskimo Snow, are beautifully composed songs that honestly have the power to heal. Even though the record at times is lyrically dark, the music takes the listener on the journey and by the time “Eskimo Snow,” comes on the listener feels a bit a better. The record is a journey that documents a little slice of life.

This record is great. A wonderful way to spend 35 minutes out of your day.

UPDATE: As of 9/14/2009 Weezer has released their first live album available for order and download here

Writer’s Note: First off,  I need to state I don’t like big arena shows. They are often too much for me.  20 dollars for any sort of food or drink, Merch tent lines that you have to spend hours in line for, and then you usually get a crappy view of stage where people seem miles and miles away. I prefer smaller venues, it’s something I do. I realized that some people in their life have never been to show that was not stadium show. The last show I saw at an arena was in 2002 with Weezer, Dashboard Confessional, and Sparta- It was great but i vowed never to go through that again(although I did love the show) but when the chance came to see Weezer, I of course jumped at it. It was worth it. Mainly because they were not headlining(Although they should have been) so leaving the venue was really easy after they finished.  now on to the review:

No matter how you look at it. Weezer still rocks and puts on one of the best rock and roll shows ever.  They still have a way of while they play making you feel like you are still in small club, the set list they tour through was mostly singles. Which wasn’t a bad thing as I’m sure they assumed this was sixteen long date tour opening for Blink 182, that most of the people would know the singles and it would make for a less akward show overall, although I was hoping for some obscure oddities, but alas they weren’t there. It doesn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying the set, and when I looked around at the 17,000 or so in attendance every one seemed to loving the moment and being there. It was a great expierence to be at an arena again, A lot has been said about Weezer in their past few releases, but one that hasn’t changed is these guys know how to put on a show. And more importantly still have fun. It must be difficult to get up there and maintain the same energy for a song that was written in 1994, and yet they do it, with I would say the most energy they’ve had in years. One thing that I always like about Weezer is their ability to change things and yet maintain the same heart of what Weezer is about- Last tour they did half of their shows as Hootenannys where the audience played the songs with them, and this tour they brought in seasoned drum veteran Josh Freese(guarrented you have more than one record he’s played on) to play drums and free Pat Wilson up to play some guitar. And Rivers was sans guitar for some of the show, rocking it like a front man ala Weezer style. I’m sure once the boys tour for Raditude , they’ll add some new element that will work. I hope they take Freese along with those tours, he’s an amazing drummer that really fits well with the band. Which of course is a bit ironic because the last band he was a member of was non other than Nine Inch Nails, but he seemed to having just as much fun as the rest of the boys in their orange suits!

Josh Freese rocks the drum set!

Weezer are a great live band, because they realize that it’s the music that should be the show. Not on stage antics, it’s about putting on the best live show they can. I think it’s why their shows feel so personal and great. If you have never watched Weezer perform live, go see them. Regardless of how you feel about them, guarrented you’ll have fun time. In the words of my best friend Mike who wasn’t the biggest Weezer fan, but enjoyed their stuff said-

“That is the sign of a great band, when they can sound just as good, if not better than their albums. Wow they were amazing!!!”

Set list:

1. War Pigs/Hash Pipe


2. Troublemaker


3. Undone- The Sweater Song


4. Surf Wax America


5. Perfect Situation


6. (If Your Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To


7. Say It Ain’t Say


8. Island In The Sun(Rivers alone with loop pedal)


9. My Name Is Jonas


10. Why Bother?


11. Pork n’ Beans


12. Beverly Hills


13. The Good Life
    


14. Buddy Holly


15. Should I Stay Or Should I go(Clash Cover)

What a fantastic show. Although we had to sit through some pretty crappy openers, it was worth every second Weezer was on stage.

and don’t forget- Weezer’s Raditude is out Oct. 27th

Rock! =w=

photographs: Karl Koch

Personally I think this is a great record cover and even better cover for a record named Raditude.

I personally enjoy  how this became the cover art just as much as I like the actual cover. To read about this please- head over to Spinner where they have a detailed story about the 5 w’s(who,what,where,when, and why) of how this came to be!!

This cover in addition to  the fantastic lead of single “(If Your Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To”, makes me super excited for the new Weezer record.

It’s been an interesting trip since 2001’s The Green Album, but one thats been enjoyable. There have been some great songs to come out of camp Weezer in that time period and then there have been some pretty rough to bad ones.

Here is hoping for a great record. One that will rock and be fun, and by any indication of the cover. I believe Raditude will do just that.

1. (If Your Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To

2. I’m Your Daddy

3. The Girl Got Hot

4. Can’t Stop Partying

5. Put Me Back Together

6. Trippin Down The Freeway

7. Love Is The Answer

8. Let It All Hang Out

9. In The Mall

10. I Don’t Want To Let You Go (One of my favorite songs of all of River’s Demos)

DELUXE VERSION:

11. Get Me Some

12. Run Over By A Truck

13. The Prettiest Girl In The Whole Wide World

14. The Underdogs

Color me excited, I predict this will be the record that brings Weezer back.

As the above picture shows, much has changed for Mike Kinsella the mastermind behind Owen. He’s married and now has a child and coincidentally has made the best record of his career.

New Leaves which hits shelves on Sept, 22 seems at first like it’s going to be a much more uplifting given the new changes in his life. Yet that couldn’t be farther from the truth, this may be Kinsella’s swan song; with songs filled with the same confusion, darkness, and lyrical gold that has made Owen one of the best bands making insanely intelligent music today. However there are brighter moments on the record that highlight his newfound life such as the song “Amnesia and Me” a wonderful account of the power people have of making a person see themselves for the first time.

“She’s not the sum of what she owns/ and she ain’t cavalier with the skin she shows/ but she has saved me from the questions that have plagued me/ and now I know who I am.”

However  few and far between these moments are  they hold a thread of someone who is living not only for himself, but living for his family. And that mentality is found in every song no matter how bleak the lyrical content may be.

The production on this record is perfect, it’s got a lot of space to get lost in and is much more intricate than Owen’s early releases and much more refined than 2006’s At Home With Owen which was great but seemed a bit too heavy on the production side. Here we find the production right into the flow of Kinsella’s brilliant poetry.

New Leaves has not left cd player since the day it arrived in the mail. This record is at once a great introduction to Kinsella’s Owen, or a perfect reintroduction to someone who has not been following Mike Kinsella in a while.

And it is for sure the best record by Owen yet.  And who knows it may end up being his last, as he sings on the final track “Curtain Call”

“People used to pay to watch me sing and play/ but it seems more and more they come to spit in my face/I’m tired of speaking up, and speaking clearly so the idiot in the back can hear. From now on  it’s I do’s and I don’ts/ to a room of antique maps and ghosts/where I have been and where I will go”

No matter where this takes Mike Kinsella, he’s turned over New Leaves

Enjoy.

I have to admit I love this single. To me it’s really a great and fun song; which in this day and age we need more of.  Is it ground breaking? No, is it a song that will go down in the book of best songs ever(is there such a book?) No.

What it does though is it sets up some good vibes for Weezer’s upcoming full length record. The song reminds you of what it’s like to see someone and be crazy about them, and honestly I find the lyrics to be personal and very relatable.  It’s just an innocent song about boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, and the awkwardness that can come  from that- the uncertainty of whether or not there is mutual feelings, the realization that there are, and the wanting to be around someone all of the time.

The artwork for the single just about says it all. I am absolutely in love with the artwork, I think this song is by far Weezer’s best single to come out post-pinkerton(with the exception of maybe “Keep Fishin’”)

This is some great pop music. That ugly word pop that so many people are afraid of, but honestly this is some great, great music and if this is the single for the new record, I can tell you that the chances are high that the record will at least be enjoyable. Weezer may never put out something as great as Pinkerton, but that is okay. Because some times much like life, music is meant to be enjoyed. So just sit back have fun, and if you don’t get a permanent smile on your face from listening to “(If Your Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To, I mean come on that is such a great title for a song-let alone a single.

Needless to say, even with a name of “Raditude” for their seventh album- I still have faith in Weezer, and at the very least. If the songs carry the same tonal qualities of  their lead off single, I’ll at least be smiling a lot.

Something I seem to be doing  a lot more lately.

Rock!