Weezer - Hurley

Paul's Choice:

Weezer - Hurley

Friend Review:

There’s always a sense of anticipation and fear that grows in me with every Weezer release. I get excited because I want to hear what my second favorite band of all time has in store for me and fear because I know there’s always a possibility of another Raditude fiasco. Just by listening to the opening track and single, “Memories”, you can tell that my boys have definitely stepped up from their prior release. It sounds like they’re finally having fun again. The first couple of tracks have a bit of a dirtier sound reminiscent o their earlier releases while still have the fun pop-punk sound they have become accustomed to. I feel like one of the best moments of this life resides in “Unspoken”. Tell me that doesn’t sound like a track that just missed the cut off of Maladroit. “Where’s My Sex?” is a song that went a bit over my head. He’s sing about socks but calling them sex? I’m not sure man. But listen to that bridge! I know it’s only about 16 seconds, but that bit is nothing short of RAD. The best thing about this album is that Weezer has for the most part gone back to their regular practice. They’ve written fun songs that are catchy and enjoyable. Any old-school =w= fans like myself will get a kick out of their latest work. Is it as good as Blue or Pinkerton? No, and likely there will never be anything else remotely close to those classics. Is it a step in the right direction? Most definitely, and anyone who has ever considered themselves a fan of Weezer would act in their best interest to give this album a spin.

Friend Rating:

8.1

Hipster Review:

Dear God...
I'd write a message to Rivers Cuomo kindly telling him to please stop making music (it's not like he gets what's lacking in it anyway, so he might as well stop altogether), but then I stop and ask myself: does he really give a shit? Obviously not, since he's still chugging out albums that are utterly devoid of artistic value, regardless of the unanimous backlash they receive. I wish he had this kind of "fuck all ya'll" attitude back in the 90's when he was actually making music that meant something. But no, he had to have an emotional breakdown that had him in seclusion for nearly half a decade, only to emerge with a "new outlook" on songwriting. But even the Green Album, as mediocre as it was, still had something resembling a spirit. In fact, I'd rather listen to both the Green Album and Maladroit ten times over then listen to any of the terrible (terrible, terrible, terrible...) albums they put out since Make Believe even once. And despite the somewhat warm critical reception Hurley has been getting, I hate it just as much as those albums. To quote Kevin Malone from The Office, "Oh it's bad. It's REAL bad."
I have to admit though, I was curious to listen to this thing after I saw the album cover, just as I was curious to listen to Raditude after hearing about the batshit-crazy collaborations. But, just like last time it was only a ploy, and I really should have known better. You see, that's what Weezer has been reduced to: a band whose wild announcements ("Hey guys, let's do a song with Kenny G! Or better yet... Lil' Wayne!"), meme-worthy album covers, stupid song titles (does "Where's My Sex?" give you a good idea of what you're in for?), etc have been given higher priority over creating songs that are actually good. "Memories" and "Time Flies" are the only ones here that didn't either make me laugh my ass off or want to stab my eardrums with a pencil. But the latter is basically a mimickry of Neutral Milk Hotel, and the former a mere parody of what the band once was. Shame on you, Rivers. Shame on you, Weezer.

Hipster Rating:

2.8

Coming up next, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West (I think? It might be a different album)!

Of Montreal - False Priest

Taylor's Choice:

Of Montreal - False Priest

Hipster Review:

My first exposure to Of Montreal, the 2007 near-classic Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer?, was one of the most mind-bending, pervertedly enjoyable listening experiences of my life. Even today the album holds a special place in my heart, and through delving deeper into their discography I've gained a better understanding of the band, and the changes they've made over the years are astounding. Since the aforementioned album they've stuck to a distinct sound that has made them the unique band that they are today; a combination of danceable, disco-esque beats, funky Beatle-esque basslines, blaring synths, Kevin Barnes' hilariously garish vocals, and astoundingly abstract, ridiculously sexual lyrical themes.
Their last album, 2008's Skeletal Lamping, while highly enjoyable, was an incredibly indulgent album, and oftentimes feels exhausting to listen to. False Priest continues this wild approach, but it feels a bit more tame than the last one. Albeit, it's still crazier music than that of any other band's today, but for Of Montreal, the album is a bit of a letdown because it feels... too safe. A number of little decisions here feel tacked on and ill-conceived, like Solange Knowles' guest spot on "Sex Karma," one of the album's weaker songs. The production here is also a lot less adventurous, and while a lot of the songs still carry that signature Of Montreal spirit, some (especially near the end) feel draggy instead of lively. And listening to the album reveals another unpleasant fact: This post-Hissing Fauna sound is starting to lose steam. While there are sparks of newness during parts of the album, one can only hope that those are seeds being planted for the band to reinvent themselves again on the next album. Even the album's highs feel lesser then on previous albums, and the lows, while small in number, feel pretty lacking. 2005's The Sunlandic Twins saw the group blossoming into something beautiful by scraping off bits of their old sound and injecting newer elements, and that album felt weaker compared to the previous stunner Satanic Panic In the Attic; maybe False Priest, like Sunlandic Twins, is an embryonic album, a slight promise of things to come.
Despite my somewhat cold commentary, I still enjoyed the album. It's fun and crazy just like Of Montreal's other works, but on it Kevin Barnes sacrifices some of the artistic restraint (for lack of a better word, probably not the right one for a guy like him) that made previous albums so stunning. Disappointing for sure, but not lacking in enjoyability.

Hipster Rating:

7.0

Friend Review:

Hey-o!

I feel like I hold a lot of unpopular opinions regarding music (Make Believe is a pretty good album, Loveless is unlistenable, Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album is amazing… Actually, these are pretty much just things where I disagree with Taylor, I have no idea how they survive in general… ‘cept the Make Believe thing, everyone hates that album and I’m not sure why), and this theory holds true with Of Montreal. Many moons ago, I asked Taylor for some new music to listen to and he told me to check out Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? I immediately asked him what I did to wrong him in such a way that he would suggest that album to me. Apparently everyone loves that album, I dunno man. But anyways, I kinda developed this opinion that Of Montreal is weird, flamboyant, bright, vivid, and generally obnoxious. Generally, this holds true for False Priest. However, contrary to how negative my words may seem, I don’t find this album awful. It’s definitely not my cup of tea, so if you’re the kind of person who tends to side with me more than Taylor I doubt you will really enjoy this album. If you dig Of Montreal’s past stuff, who knows. I heard this album is less electronic than their past stuff (man, who knows what I’d have given this if it was super electronic) so y’know, keep that in mind. My favorite track was “Famine Affair”, probably the most “normal” of the bunch. Which says a lot about me more than anything. I also really loved “Our Riotous Defects”, particularly the speaking parts which is a bit strange of me. Anyways, feel free to give this a shot, but prepared for in-your-face pop with hyperactive vocals and bright music. If this music could be visually represented, it’d be represented by a rainbow in the background with fireworks in the foreground.

“X of the Year” post tomorrow!

Friend Rating:

6.8

Coming up next, Hurley by Weezer!

Jenny and Johnny - I'm Having Fun Now

Paul's Choice:

Jenny and Johnny - I’m Having Fun Now

Friend Review:

Hey-o!

So let’s get some news updates up in hurr:
1. Sorry for being so late. College is hard, NOBODY TOLD ME!
2. My radio show is going good, starting next semester, I’m gonna save all my shows and post them up here for you to listen to! Or you can listen live if you’d like, I’m not sure what time slot I’ll have but I’ll let you know about that when I know.
3. I’m now Assistant Music Director for the radio station! The really rad thing about that is that I’ll be reviewing about 5 albums a week for the station, so there’s really no excuse for me not to have my reviews done on time.
4. Be At Leso is planning shows and writing and all that good stuff. If you want us to play for you, let us know, we’d love to.
5. Again, sorry, I’m so late. I’ll gonna try to get caught up, and I promise I’ll be better about this next year!
6. We’re gonna have a “Best of the Year” post coming up soon. It’ll have a lot of lists. Bitches love lists.
<3 Now about the album! So, this is the beautiful Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley collaborating with her boyfriend Jonathon Rice. Cool beans. There’s not much I really know about her other than the fact that she is one of the absolute hottest women in indie rock. Seriously, man. But enough of my drooling, this album… Well, there’s nothing special about it. There’s nothing bad about it at all. It’s actually pretty enjoyable to listen to. It’s just not special. It’s about the purest form of indie rock that there is, there’s no delving into other genres or any experimentation at all. I think just about anyone can pick up this album for some simple listening, I think hardly anyone will find it brilliant or awful. If you’re looking for average you can’t go wrong with this. If you’re looking for anything greater you will but utterly disappointed.

Merry Christmas and God bless!

Friend Rating:

6.7

Hipster Review:

Many moons ago I was into a little band called Rilo Kiley, whose frontwoman Jenny Lewis I had become intrigued by (due partly to, and I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, a big crush I had on her). Her solo work was very different from that of her band, mixing her indie sensibilities with an ear for vintage country, a la Loretta Lynn. For a while I was taken by her debut Rabbit Fur Coat, fascinated by how a modern artist had so seamlessly brought such a old sound and injected it with such vigor. I could still listen to it today and enjoy it. But as time passes, old flames die out...
Today, I have little to no interest in Rilo Kiley's music. It doesn't do anything for me, and even her solo work doesn't inspire the same feeling of fascination that it once did. It was a phase, and it has long passed. So I approached I'm Having Fun Now with somewhat of an "eh" reaction; I just took it for what it was and didn't go into it expecting anything terribly gripping. Sure enough, I walked away from this safe albeit fun album with no conceptions shattered. It is a fun, cute album and not much else; the concept of having Lewis collaborate with boyfriend/songwriter Johnathan Rice pretty much spells out the album's experience. I did enjoy it more than I thought I would, but that isn't saying much in this case. Lewis fans will be pleased, all others left unmoved.

Hipster Rating:

6.7

Coming up next, False Priest by Of Montreal!