The second breath open to Weezer

Californian Weezer has been on stage for more than a decade now and today releases the sixth album already. This is quite a good result taking into account that the collective's front man Rivers Cuomo has been long trying to kill two birds with one stone studying at Harvard University and doing his creative work. Besides two records of its discography have been released one by one: Green Album of 2001 was followed by Maladroit right the next year. Today it all looks like the second breath is open to Weezer and the reasons for that are utterly concrete. First of all already a middle aged Cuomo has finally graduated from university. Besides his wedding to a long term girl-friend Kyoko Ito took place two years ago, and last winter the singer released a demo record Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo, on which he made a summary of fifteen years of work. Thus the release of a brilliant new record Red Album, also an eponymous one in some versions, is but logical: it marks the beginning of a new chapter in Weezer's creative work and for the first time in many years can boast the authorship and performance provided by all the band members.

Longer epic songs with the elements of art rock

Longer epic songs with the elements of art rock characterize the new direction Weezer takes on Red Album. The album opens with Troublemaker, a pretender to be the new single, a great bold song with a simple chorus which is sure to linger in your mind while single The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations On A Shaker Hymn) starts with the sound of a shouting crowd making an effect of a live recording and pleases with the band's a capella singing with the accompaniment of a drum machine only, and conceited lyrics not devoid of black humor. First single Pork & Beans is a song that has remained in the band's history as the most successful hit and one different from the others beginning as an acoustic track and turning into a most powerful rock creation. Heart Songs offers more of pop music being a funny and rather heavy parody on boys' bands' music whereas Everybody Get Dangerous is an amazing rock composition with faultless complicated vocals and tune and the brightest drums from Patrick Wilson. On another single Dreamin' the collective work of all the Weezer members is concentrated, there is choir singing here, guitarist and bassist's single parties and an incredible instrumental background, and guitarist Brian Bell's song Thought I Knew pleases with a contagious rhythm and a tune underlined by a great guitar and a synthesizer. The most sullen and hopeless track on the album is the ominous Cold Dark World while Wilson's creation Automatic dwells upon the problem of feelings fading as the time passes. The album closes with a slow lyrical composition The Angel And The One devoted to loneliness and afterlight.

Red Album has all the chances to gain a platinum status

Paradoxically as it may seem Red Album proves to be simultaneously fresh and reminiscent of the past. The point is that on Weezer's first eponymous album released when Rivers Cuomo did not yet reveal his difficult character too much all the members could be heard without exception, and story repeats on the sixth album. As for the opened second breath the sing of that is also the fact that the guys plan to release the seventh work this autumn already, and once again all of them together are going to work on the material for it. Nevertheless Red Album deserves all our attention. Produced by Rick Rubin and Jacknife Lee the record has become already the band's third creation with a color involved in the title after the 1994's debut Blue Album and 2001's Green Album. Traditionally the record expectation has not been tranquil, in particular, a false fans' site has appeared in the Internet to misinform several editions concerning the album title and official release date. Then again this hype only adds to the album's success, so Weezer does not have to worry for Red Album has all the chances to gain a platinum status as the previous work Make Believe did so easily.

Alexandra Zachernovskaya
19.06.2008