| Weezer – Hurley |  |
It’s almost gotten annoying how much Weezer exposure there is these days. Three albums in three years, constant appearances, and touring? Give me a break man. This most recent release is Weezer’s first on indie label Epitaph Records, does that mean a return to their indie roots? No, this might even be Weezer’s most commercial release yet.
Eight out of the ten tracks were collaborations with other songwriters and though I praised that move on the last album, lightning doesn’t strike twice. These aren’t like cool people either, they’re the kind of producers/songwriters that write for people like Katy Perry and Hanson. It’s hard to say how big of an impact they really had on this record, but I’d rather Rivers take some time off to work on his compositions, maybe then he wouldn’t need so much assistance.
There’s not a lot of standout tracks on Hurley but there’s definitely moments that remind me of why I like Weezer. “Unspoken” is so close to being a great song if the first half was as good as the end. Leadoff single “Memories” is fine but doesn’t hold much of a candle to past Weezer singles. “Where’s My Sex” attempts to capture the quirkiness of the Pinkerton, telling a story where the word “sox” is replaced with “sex”, it’s alright.
It’s still better than Make Believe era Weezer but it only further cements that Weezer is far from ever being considered an “Alternative” band again. Next time let’s hope they take a break and work on the one thing that’s most important, their music.
Favorite Tracks: “Memories”, “Ruling Me” “Where’s My Sex”