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Apr 05, 2016 Web Exclusive By Marty Hill

The release of a new Weezer record always seems to cause as much trepidation as it does excitement. Their fans are loyal and often near-exclusive; there’s even a blog dedicated to finding new music that sounds like “old Weezer.” The blog’s necessity is due to Weezer’s stumble into a void of insufferable pop rock. A small section of the Weezer faithful were courteous enough to interpret it as being a calculated and witty stab at the state of popular music; most of them were less kind. Weezer’s gradual return to form since the shuddering low point of 2009’s Raditude has led to a couple of solid singles, but little in the way of the same kind of effortless charm that the band oozed in their prime. But as far as bands that convincingly pull off the infectious slick melodies and geeky aesthetic of “old Weezer,” White Album-era Weezer are the most noteworthy.

Teasing the release of their fourth officially self-titled record, Weezer set out their mission statement. “Do You Wanna Get High” recalls the desolate sleaze of Pinkerton in all its glory. Rivers Cuomo’s tales of falling in love rather than spiralling into despair are the only real proof that this couldn’t be a lost track from their 1996 opus. The White Album is loaded with these kinds of throwback cuts, but does enough in its sonic maturity and educated production to stand out as more than the unofficial B-sides compilation that many sneered it would be. The infectious slacker pop of their debut is alluded to as well, with “L.A Girlz” as a melodic high point. Although The White Album is predictable in that its singles are stand-outs, that just feels like another way that Weezer are doing a great job at sounding like Weezer. As Cuomo croons “Keep on doing what you do/‘cause I’ll never get tired of you,” it’s hard to ignore the feedback loop. (www.weezer.com)

Author rating: 6/10