Weezer Continues To Age Awkwardly

From time to time, we like to round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. Under consideration in this installment is the latest self-titled effort by Weezer, which hits stores tomorrow, is also known as The Red Album, and continues the band’s journey toward the land of cool dad-dom:

• “Like the YouTube culture the ‘Pork and Beans’ video depicts so well, the song [‘The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)’]–and this album–relies on a high quantity of short-lived pretty good ideas to distract from a shortage of great ones.” [Pitchfork] • “The Red Album isn’t the best album in Weezer’s long career, but it’s far from the worst — and it’s a fine disc to keep in the front car seat as summer rolls along.” [Detroit Free Press] • “The Red Album isn’t without flaws: Cuomo makes the well-intentioned gesture of allowing his bandmates to write or co-author one song each, and these turn out to be the album’s least memorable. But the high points are as high as any these still essential alternative-era veterans have given us.” [Chicago Sun-Times] • “The only difference between the Weezer who shat out Make Believe and the Weezer of today is that the band isn’t so obviously gunning for the Warped Tour crowd anymore, but instead attempting to lure back the attentions of an older crowd, maybe those who vaguely remember hearing ‘Buddy Holly’ on the radio or aging rockers who also shun Rogaine. It’s music for insecurities: brash, crass, repugnant, and very small. Despite what they’d like us to think, The Red Album sounds like every one of Weezer’s misfires since The Green Album: a few songs that work and a whole slew that flounder completely. Will diehard Weezer fans dig it? Undoubtedly. And they should, because nothing has changed.” [Tiny Mix Tapes]