I probably won't get through it all today, even though I'm nearing the finish line. However, my calendar today is full of buying things and drinking beers. A bro's got to have his priorities, right?
(Side note: if you ever hear me say "bro priority," it has nothing to do with the popular usage of bro, broing out, or bromance. At least not overtly. My little sister and I saw a dude holding up a name card at the Houston airport that said "Bro Priority," and it's kinda just become our thing. I'm waiting for it to become a meme, but apparently I am not cool enough to know how to start one.)
About 11:45 - Raditude, cont.: B-Sides
There really are two different Weezers, aren't there? The B-Side Weezer is simply a different beast, and one I really like. "Get Me Some," "Run Over By a Truck," and their mashup of "Kids/Pokerface" are excellent. I have to admit that I'm apparently so out of touch that I did not realize that the aforementioned song was a splice of MGMT and Lady Gaga. I heard both of these songs for the first time through Weezer, and then I heard the originals. No matter what, they're awesome though.
I remember having a similar experience when Local H covered Britney Spears' "Toxic." Ostrich that I am, I'd never heard Britney's tune, even though it was already a few years old before the H got ahold of it. I was excited. The song rocked. It was a good lesson in songwriting vs. packaging, one that I won't soon forget.
Ah, "Story of My Life." It's official: I'm a sucker for lo-fi Weezcoustics.
Okay, let's all say it together: Dance remixes always suck. Maybe, maybe, if I was out dancing (because I do that so much) I could enjoy these things, but mostly they just grate on me. I would skip this shit if it didn't break the integrity of the marathon.
Three. dance. remixes. in. a. row.
About 2:20 - Hurley
Ah, Hurley. I have now entered the this-is-so-new-my-opinion-is-still-forming portion of this marathon. So far, I really dig this record. A lot of people have said it, but this feels more like vintage Weezer than anything else post-Pinkerton, whatever that may mean.
Thank you to Epitaph Records, who provided me with both a free digital download and a CD of this album when I bought in on (clear green) vinyl.
A song like "Memories" I would usually dismiss as overly sentimental, but it sets the mood for this album so well, and includes piss, vomit, and sex. So how could I not like it?
Deli-fresh pastrami sandwiches go well with the Weez. My ocular nerve went pop zoom.
Going back to my B-side comments earlier, I feel like this is the album where they actually gave precedent to this sound. Maybe it was the move to an indie label, or maybe it was just time, but I'm happy they decided to put this sound front on center. I like the play in form with "Trainwrecks" and "Unspoken."
I think "Where's My Sex?" is what really holds the album together. Not because it's the best track, because it's probably the worst, but I think that's my point. The worst song on here isn't that bad, and it kind of breaks the stinker-an-album precedent that began with "We Are All on Drugs," then continued with "Everybody Get Dangerous" and "In the Mall." Here is works, and there was much rejoicing.
I also like the dance rock thing they have going in some of the later tracks like "Smart Girls" and "Brave New World." It worked so well for them with their cover of "Kids/Pokerface" that I'm glad they decided to give it a stab. Plus, it's nice to hear a song promoting intelligence in women.
Oh, and "Time Flies" is a fantastic song. Lyrically s'okay, but the recording is perfect.
About 4:50 - Death to False Metal
Well I'll be. Looks like I'll be getting through this today after all. I'm definitely at the burnout point here. It's been a fun experience. I think, taken all at once, this band has a much sturdier body of work than I would have previously given them credit for. I remain fascinated at Weezer's ability to polarize people. Something about them essentially challenges people's ideas of what music like this "should" be. However, what kind of music is Weezer? Not pop. Not punk. Not emo. Not metal. Alternative, sure, but that's a big umbrella.
I've often wondered if my interest in this band simply stems from my attraction to controversial items. I'm sure that contributed to my lasting interest in them, but that wasn't the initial draw. The initial draw was that I was entering 7th grade when they came out and back then they were cool. Blue was probably the only universally adored Weezer record. As much as people view Pinkerton with rose-tinted glasses these days, they hated it when it was new. And so a precedent was born.
I've got no specific comments on Death to False Metal. It's clearly a collection of almost-good-enoughs. Not bad, but not a real album.
Thanks Chas. It was nice to relive some of those Weezer records. I gave up four months after I bought green (at the Fremont Sonic Boom, when everyone had lined up the block for both Weezer and Tool). I loved it for two months, felt not-so-good about it for one month, felt bad for ever saying that I liked it for one, then hating it since then. Whenver, I heard ISLAND IN THE SUN, I want to kill myself and Weezer.
ReplyDeleteThough, it's good to hear that they're doing whatever they want. It's actually, nice to know that they're not sell outs, that they're just writing songs and recording them indiscriminately. That they can put out bad records and be ok with it. I mean, look how many records the Kinks put out, Beck (going with your comparisons) and so many others. They all have at least one or two bad records (or records that just don't quite do it). So Weezer should be allowed to do so. Though, I'm not a fan anymore. I want to remember them as the band who made Pinkerton and the Blue Album and that's it. I have frozen them in time, like Han Solo at Jabbas.