by Jeffrey Paternostro

Vital Statistics

Number of Listens it took for the reviewer to enjoy Pinkerton: Oh, fifty or so.

Reviewer’s Favorite Weezer Album: Pinkerton

As a reviewer, I’m a big believer in putting any and all biases towards my subject matter out in the open right away. So I’m a pretty big Weezer fan. I think both The Blue Album and Pinkerton are excellent. Pinkerton, depending on how I feel on any given day (which is a pretty general caveat for when I make proclamations like this), is one of my five favorite albums, period. I, like many, feel that The Green Album was a subpar effort from them. Finally, keep in mind that the way in which I review this album is probably going to be different then how I would review an album by a group that I am neutral towards…

On my first go round with Maladroit, I was ready to label it a superior album to Weezer’s 2001 self-titled offering, but one lacking the pop of their first two major label efforts. On the second go-round, I found it far more underwhelming, with a lot of bland offerings, albeit with enough good tracks to outweigh the bad. On a third listen, the album is starting to grow on me a bit. So maybe this review will be a bit of a work in progress.

Weezer’s fourth release for Geffen records, Maladroit, comes on the heels of their 2001 self-titled effort, known more commonly as “The Green Album.” Although it was met with mostly critical praise, longtime fans were less forgiving, and one has to wonder if Maladroit was rushed a bit to counteract some of the backlash. Then again, given that five years past between their sophomore effort, Pinkerton and the far inferior Green Album, perhaps speed is not such a bad thing. The one thing I am secure in saying right now is that Pinkerton still remains creatively their best work, as Maladroit poses no threat to that throne.

Still, it is a far better offering than its predecessor, starting right off with two tracks that far surpass anything on The Green Album, “American Gigolo” and “Dope Noise.” It is no coincidence that these are also the two most dynamic tracks on the album. The peppy “Gone Fishin” follows, as Rivers Cuomo give us one of his predictable, if fun, takes on the emo love song. Sadly, the rest of the album can’t keep up this energy level, though there are a few nice surprises, like the upbeat, driving “Possibilities” and the superb closing track, “December.”

The album’s major problem, and one that did stick with me upon multiple listens, is its overall blandness. Many of the middle tracks bleed into each other, lacking standout moments. This is not as noticeable as it was on “The Green Album,” as there is enough stylistic contrast between songs, but the tracks feel uninspired. Often River Cuomo’s lyrics get buried under a driving guitar line and over production, most noticeably on “Slob.” As for the lyrics themselves, Cuomo seems bent on trying to recapture the sexual lethargy and depression of Pinkerton, but it comes off as forced, lacking the sincerity that songs like “Across the Sea” and “El Scorcho” had. It may have been a mistake to even try.

Maybe in another forty-seven listens I’ll be raving about Maladroit. Somehow, though I doubt my opinion will swing too much more in either direction. This album lacks the personality of Pinkerton, which was what eventually won me over. Maladroit stakes out a comfortable place in between The Green Album and Weezer’s first two efforts. That’s not a terrible place to be, as I consider Weezer’s first two efforts to be quite excellent and I can recommend this one without too many reservations. It should certainly quiet any trepidation that Weezer fans may have had following The Green Album, even if it doesn’t quite recapture the band’s past magic.

Tom's Comment: Jeff is averse to the whole star rating system. I don't know if this is because he's enrolled in Berkley East or not.