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)!