I stumbled across this today, and it honestly sickens me to think of what Weezer used to be. The Weezer that I know and love didn't give a shit what the critics said about Pinkerton and wrote some of the best music of the '90s. The Blue Album and Pinkerton were truly great albums, highlighting the fantastic lyrics of Rivers Cuomo over what was, at the time, a new direction for rock and roll- almost a pop-grunge. Pinkerton, especially, is actually heavy- instrumentally as well as lyrically. Rivers writes his heart out about his girl problems and what was really on his mind. Albeit non-political or particularly revolutionary, he was writing about things he thought were important. Songs like "Tired of Sex" and "Why Bother" highlight his disillusionment with the lifestyle that Weezer became a part of the success of their debut album. Rivers wrote meaningful songs that people enjoyed listening to and that people could relate to. But after "Pinkerton" was poorly received, Rivers changed the sound of the band, and although "The Green Album" and "Maladroit" have a couple of amazing tracks to them, they are inconsistent albums that lack substance and seem to be mostly filler tracks. The reviews of "Pinkerton" pushed Rivers from writing about his life and what really mattered to him to writing about what everyone else told him to write about.
Weezer has, in my opinion, never had an album match the emotion and meaning that was so blatantly there (and criticized) on "Pinkerton." Their latest albums have been attempts to stay relevant, with one or two singles and about 8 tracks worth of filler. After I watched this video today, I thought about all of this. Instrumentally, Weezer really hasn't changed much- they still know how to write a killer guitar hook, and their guitars are as distorted and thick as ever (seriously though....how the hell do they get some of those tones out of those guitars? It's so thick....). Lyrically, though, Weezer has become a gimmick band. Songs like "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" and "Can't Stop Partying" are practically jokes. The depth that Weezer once had is now gone, leaving them to be that band that does a song for State Farm Insurance.
Seriously, guys? This puts you on about the same level as that "Free Credit Report Dot Com" band.
I loved Weezer but now it is a different story. I feel your pain. They've lost the edge that they had when they wrote pinkerton.I wish "Pork and Beans" sounded a little more like "Pink Triangle". At Voodoo, Weezer was playing but it wasn't a big deal for me to see them. They just seem like they don't have that special touch anymore.
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