So by now you've heard "Beverly Hills," the first single from Weezer's latest disc. It's on MTV, it's on VH1, it's on your local rock and top 40 radio stations. It's everywhere. Some accounts have come in describing collective, tribe-wide nightmares involving the song among primitive peoples in the remotest jungles of Africa. The dreams are characterized by what the natives call "the boom-boom-chop" and disturbing visions of Hugh Hefner. Like I said, it's everywhere.
On hearing "Beverly Hills," a listener's initial reaction is invariably, "Oh my good lord," followed by either of the following: "Weezer has written the catchiest rock song in history," or more likely, "Why is Rivers Cuomo singing for Maroon 5?" It's true, "Beverly Hills" is as single-specific as a rock song can hope to be, but the rest of the album is head and shoulders above the first single. Thank goodness.
Make Believe is not the holy grail that many Weezer fans hope will mark a return to the rock goodness of the blue album or the emotional outpour of Pinkerton. The band that recorded those masterpieces is long dead. The Weezer of 2005 are a new, different creature from that band of the 90s - not products of their past, merely influenced by it. And while most rock bands today have their sights set on discovering the next big thing, Weezer is neither intent on breaking new musical ground nor satisfied with treading water in the latest rock trend. But where there is a lack of adventurous spirit, there is in its place a desire to craft excellent songs with catchy melodies and honest emotion.
Musically, Make Believe is a well-blended combination of the band's two most recent efforts, 2001's self-titled green album and 2003's Maladroit. For those less familiar with the band's previous work, this means equal doses of catchy pop songs and shred-focused rock and roll. And while both of those records felt musically lopsided, their sum is a balanced and enjoyable collection of songs. Some songs take the band to different places than they have visited previously, like the very danceable "This Is Such a Pity," and the understated "Freak Me Out," but overall the record is decidedly pop rock and roll.
But despite the very solid musical aspect of the album, the greatest detriment of this record is its lyrical content. Admittedly, the subject matter is the band's most honest and earnest since 1996's sophomore record, but the delivery is lacking on nearly every track. One would think that Cuomo, an English major at Harvard University, would make better use of his education, particularly in such a public forum, but the lyrics seem devoid of any poetic craft, leaving us with very typical pop triteness.
Standout tracks on this record are "Hold Me," "We Are All on Drugs," and "Haunt You Every Day," but once you get past the lead track - that "Beverly Hills" song about which we all feel so strongly - all of Make Believe is an excellent listen.
3/4
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