Latest ‘Weezer’ is addictive pop-rock candy
■After a five-year wait,
hardcore fans can indulge in
more geek-love music
Weezer ‘Weezer’
Geffen Records
By Lori Musicer
Oregon Daily Emerald
Attention Weezer fans: The fix is
in. After a five-year withdrawal,
thousands of drooling fiends can en
joy the sweet intoxication once
again.
Many remember Weezer as the
band that made being a geek cool
again with its. palatable grunge
punk-pop anthems from a 1994
self-titled debut, which yielded
mega-hits “Buddy Holly” and
“Undone (The Sweater Song).”
Well, it’s time to dust off those
thick, black frames, because the
boys of Weezer — the kings of
geekdom themselves — have re
turned.
Weezer’s third studio album, ti
tled “Weezer” but otherwise
known as “The Green Album”
(continuing the tradition of their
debut, which was appropriately
coined “The Blue Album”), has ar
rived five years after a poorly re
ceived second album, “Pinkerton.”
Given the slight hint of Beatles in
fluence, it’s possible the color mo
tif is a subtle shout-out to the Brit
heroes’ “White Album.” With their
first single off the new album,
“Hash Pipe,” infiltrating alterna
tive-rock radio stations nation
wide, the spunky Los Angeles
quartet is proving to be more than
the “now you see us, now you
don’t” band they were rumored to
be.
So what has Weezer been up to in
the last five years? The band con
tributed a track to a 1999 tribute al
bum to The Pixies. They also toured
for a while under the pseudonym
Goat Punishment (don’t ask). Bassist
Mikey Welsh joined the crew in
1998 after Matt Sharp left to join
The Rentals. The members have
been involved in several side proj
ects, such as Homie, a band in
which frontman Rivers Cuomo col
laborated with members of Soul
Coughing and Cake. In the mean
time, Weezer’s “emo” cult following
of obsessive fans has been growing
steadily.
Both in and outside the United
States, dedicated fans have rushed
to buy the album as if it were one
of the most hard-to-get drugs in ex
istence — and they haven’t had
their fix in years. “Hash Pipe” is a
perfect choice for radio play, par
tially because of the catchy chorus,
filled to the brim with rowdy
“whoa-ooh-oh” sing-alongs. The
repetitive, ascending guitar riff
also blends perfectly with Cuomo’s
addictive, eight-step downhill pat
tern.
Crunching power chords, beau
tifully simplistic melodies and
playfiil beats seep through every
pore of this candy-coated album,
and it goes down as smooth as ever.
“Photograph” seems like an opti
mistic flashback to “Happy Days”
with its “Buddy Holly”-esque feel,
old school “oh baby” backup vocals
and hand clapping. With the open
ing lines, “If you want it / you can
have it / but you got to learn to reach
out there and grab it,” listeners may
find themselves grinning and bob
bing their heads with childlike joy.
Lyrically, Cuomo has generally
held on to his recurring theme of
love issues, but he also has retreated
to the less intimate, specific ac
counts which he boldly displayed
on “Pinkerton.” The final track, “O
Girlfriend,” is a lonely ballad in
which he calls out to an ex-lover,
“Suddenly / we’re apart and I can’t
see you every night / Though we
fight I love you so much / Now I
can’t feel your touch.”
Perhaps a part of Cuomo’s genius
for catchy pop songwriting is gui
tarist Brian Bell, whose licks often
mimic Cuomo’s vocal melody and
culminate in brief guitar solos that
literally echo the singing. These
hum-along gems arrive on time —
between halfway and two-thirds
through — for every single track. No
wonder these songs instantly hang
on and stick all day, like little pop
leeches.
The downfall of the album defi
nitely lies in its length — or lack
thereof. Ten songs in less than 30
minutes is simply not a big enough
dose of Weezer, especially for the
first time in five years. Cuomo al
legedly wrote more than 120 songs
during the break, so it’s certainly not
writer’s block. “The Green Album”
is missing a crucial element that
contributed to the strength of the
“The Blue Album” — the emotion
ally packed instrumental at the end
of “Only in Dreams.” The new al
bum, short but sweet, cries for such
an extension.
It’s likely that those who didn’t
dig Weezer before won’t convert
suddenly, but all those eager fans
will be finally satiated with this
long-awaited fix of rock candy in its
purest form. For the true Weezer ex
perience, be sure to check out the
band’s energetic live shows during
their North American tour this sum
mer. Dates are to be determined, so
keep an eye out for Northwest stops.
0116021
10-6 Daily • www.thebicyclebarn.com
Easy Free Parking
WE WANT TO BE YOUR BIKE & KITE SHOP
Eat till the cows come home!
Holy Cow in the afternoon! By popular demand,
we’ve extended our hours until 7pm Monday through
Thursday. To celebrate, treat a friend to a free meal.
(A Bdyl Meal
| *300? (3pm - 7pm M-Th) Wr |
I £r your friend eats free! j
• equal or lesser value/expires June 15, 2001 .
“Because space is a
terrible thing to waste
* the closest to the
University of Oregon
* climate controlled
* small, medium
* professional & courteous
storage counselors
* special rates for student
id holders
* secure
* special Husky &
Beaver storage
* 6’x6’ units/7’ tall/$30/mo.
StorltAll
STUDENT'S MINI-STORAGE
550 E. 8th St. Eugene
We’ve got you covered. (541) 683-5622
Symphony
continued from page 1
“The text of the piece is just ex
quisite,” she said. “And the orches
tration the conductor chose is very
beautiful.”
Wayne Bennett, a music professor
and director of orchestral activities,
said both of the chosen works for
tonight’s concert have romantic
sounds. He said the Tchaikovsky
piece is part of the composer’s last
three great works, which carry a com
mon theme about fate controlling life.
However, he said the symphony
doesn’t give in to that idea and will
perform with a more upbeat tone.
“The music is always tri
umphant,” he said.
Bennett said this performance is
particularly special because nearly
half of the student musicians will
be graduating this spring.
“I hate to see these guys go,” he
said. “I’m really going to miss the
students that are moving on.”
Brian Gardiner, a senior percus
sion performance major and a sym
phony member, said die symphony
will not be the same without those
who are leaving.
“So many [graduates] will proba
bly leave and go to the East Coast be
cause there’s a lot more happening
there musically,” he said.
Because the musicians will be
moving on, Bennett said today’s fi
nal performance should be special
for everyone.
“This has been by far the best
symphony we’ve ever had,” he
said.
Tickets for tonight’s performance
are available at the door and cost $3
for students and senior citizens, and
$5 for general admission.
011137
686-1166
•Delivery charges may apply
•Not valid with any other offers
•PLEASE mention the student special
when ordering