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at a glance...
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Formed: 1992
Personnel:
Rivers Cuomo- vocals, guitar
Brian Bell- vocals, guitar
Mikey Welsh- vocals, bass
Patrick Wilson- drums
Related Artists :
The Rentals, The Spacetwins, Special Goodness, That Dog, Nerfherder, Juliana Hatfield, Ash, Blur ... www.weezer.net has them all
Notes:
After about a year and a half of trying to crack the LA club scene, Weezer were signed to DGC Records. They headed to the well-known Electric Lady studios to record their 1994 eponymous debut, which was produced by the Cars' Rick Ocasek. In the midst of grunge, Weezer emerged with the same churning rhythm section and sludgy guitars, but with self-deprecating humor that impish geeks everywhere could appreciate. MTV loved them and they even picked up Grammy awards for their single, "Buddy Holly". Two years later, they released their self-produced album, Pinkerton, a title inspired by the opera, Madame Butterfly, which was darker and far more wonderful than their debut. However, Weezer shied away from commercial success and members went to work on other projects and lead vocalist Cuomo returned to his studies at Harvard. Bassist Matt Sharp amicably left the band to focus more on The Rentals and was replaced with Mikey Welsh of Juliana Hatfield's band. Weezer jumped back into the live circuit in the summer of 2000 and released their long-awaited third LP in May 2001.
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Weezer
The Green Album
Geffen, Released 2001
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With a good five years between albums, there was a bit of a pressure surrounding the release of Weezer's third LP. The mighty Stone Roses, and the noticeably less mighty Elastica, faced similarly delayed releases in their day, and were rewarded with indifferent public receptions. Can Weezer, the spokesmen for a generation of smart-assed, emotionally stunted youths who hold their comic books close and their limited edition Star Wars DVDs even closer, resurrect themselves and save save rock 'n' roll for the geeks? Again? Can Weezer live up to the hype?
Well, no, of course not. No one can fully match the expectations of fickle fans, but Weezer are a band that you can love, trust, and - five-year hiatuses be damned -- depend on. If the debut and Pinkerton were grinding, perturbed, and full of flippant self-mockery, The Green Album is simultaneously more lovesick and optimistic than ever. "Don't Let Go" and "Knock-down Drag-Out" lie somewhere between slick and punchy new wave and charming, melodic surf pop, giving songwriter Rivers Cuomo the perfect chance to present himself as the swooning lovelorn hero. Starry-eyed strum-along "Island in the Sun" sways with sugary appeal and teenage sincerity in the lines "We'll run away together/ We'll spend some time forever/ We'll never feel bad anymore." Sure, it's simple, but with Weezer can blast through any cliché with crushing impact. "Photograph" is a glowing example of this knack - hand claps, "Oh, baby" and "Ooooweeoooo" falsetto backing vocals help illustrate Rivers' instructions for dream chasing. It's the most satisfying two-minute pop euphoria currently available. Weezer haven't gone completely mushy, though. Their patented hard, chugging cheese rock is still present and accounted for, especially on the rockin' "Glorious Day" and first single, "Hash Pipe", the last word in the mega-sneering, "I am the King of Cool!" rock 'n' roll.
Weezer have faced their challenge with confident, easy-going nonchalance, offering one hell of a tight little record. They can still make it sound like the first time, making their music fresh, fun, and explosive with deliciousness pop dexterity. Maybe it's all a bit innocent for men in their 30s, but whatever. Music is supposed to evoke something, and as long as no one gets hurt, feeling 16 is fine.
If you like Weezer, check out:
Weezer Weezer
Weezer Pinkerton
The Cars The Cars
The Get Up Kids Something to Write Home About
The Rentals Seven More Minutes
Ozma The Doubble Donkey Disc
Big Star No. 1 Record
The Raspberries Power Pop, Vol. 1
The Bigger Lovers How I Learned to Stop Worrying
-- Lori Latimer
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