At this point in Weezer's career making an album with the television show Lost superstar Jorge Garcia or "Hurley" on the cover is okay. After putting a poorly placed floating dog in a randon living room on Raditude, why not a picture of Hurley suit as an awesome album cover? As much as a shocker this may be, Weezer's eighth studio album Hurley is a surprisingly solid effort.
I don't know if I've simply just accepted that Weezer aren't going to bring their emo flair back that Weezer (The Blue Album) and Pinkerton thrived on or maybe I've caught in ear for the teenage-sounding Rivers Cuomo's songs.It may simply be a little of both or maybe Weezer has decided to delve back into the '90s classics. "Where's My Sex" sounds like it's straight out of Pinkerton, "Ruling Me" sounds like it would sit nice next to the tracks of Weezer (The Green Album) and "Unspoken" is like a moody acoustic that was favored on Weezer (The Blue Album).
Any Weezer fan can dig that can't they? I'm sure they can. Weezer also delves into new roots especially on the interesting finale "Time Flies" a lo-fi ballad that is one of the best Weezer tracks that has been put out since the Maladroit days. Cuomo even comments in his song writing how catchy Weezer songs used to be; "Cause even when I'm gone/This stupid damn song with be in your head".
You can't say that Cuomo's song writing is anything special. Its been the same since 1994. A middle-aged man still crying over teenage break-ups, but for some reason it never seems gets old. Maybe my brother said it best when trying to convince me that the Red Album wasn't all that bad. He told me that they're just trying to have fun. I can totally see that now, I used to hate that aspect of Weezer. I kept wanting to ask them; "why don't you try!". Now that I think about it, Weezer's tenacity of wanting to have fun is the most important thing a band can have.
Hurley isn't a Pinkerton or Weezer (The Blue Album) in the slightest, but it gives a good fight to be up there. It mixes their playful aspects of their later years, the experimental side of their mid-years and of course even mixes in some of the classic '90s Weezer. It might be classified as a complitation of Weezer entire career.
Overall: 7.6/10
Track Listing:
1. Memories - 7.5 2. Ruling Me - 7.0 3. Trainwrecks - 7.0 4. Unspoken - 8.0 5. Where's My Sex - 7.5 6. Run Away - 7.5 7. Hang On - 8.0 8. Smart Girls - 7.0 9. Brave New World - 8.0 10. Time Flies - 9.0
I don't know why I think of silver when I listen to Interpol. The first thing that pops into my mind from listening to the deep voice of Paul Banks and moody melodies of Daniel Kessler, I think silver. Well, this image of silver is very present on Interpol's latest self-titled effort. In 2004 Interpol exploded onto the indie scene with a definite and dynamic post-punk influence that created an instant classic Turn On the Bright Lights. Now, the two albums in between Interpol and Turn on the Bright Lights haven't had as big of an impact as their debut, but still have signified a very original and cohesive post-punk sound.
Leading off with the short and quick opener "Success" Interpol immediately catches the attention of fans of Turn On the Bright Lights with very articulate and dynamic drumming and catchy vocals. On the chorus of "I have succeeded", "Success" marks Interpol's most "pop" oriented song. Following "Success" comes the very dramatic "Memory Serves" that will have fans grinning with pleasure over Interpol's central sound.
A trend that Interpol follows a lot like the rest of Interpol's work is the lack of diversity in the songs. Thankful, this sound that Interpol repeats is very catchy and will turn on anyone who has delved into any form of post-punk. The most powerful of the songs in almost every aspect is "Lights". "Please police me/I want you to police me/But keep it clean," begs Banks with his very catchy and unique vocals. These set of lyrics might be the whole concept of Interpol. Banks always sings of wanting something, but he wants it gracefully instead of being greedy.
"Lights" is like one of those special songs that bubbles up in you and then explodes out a lot like The National's masterful "England" from High Violet. Another essential track from Interpol is "All of the Ways" that shows Interpol most diverse sound. Keyboards, synthesizers and strings make for one of the most dynamic performances of Interpol's catalog.
In a nutshell, Interpol is a very exceptional album that showcases Interpol's unique and dynamic sound in its fullest since their debut. The only downfall from making Interpol an exceptional album is the lack of diversity in songs. The ten set list of Interpol is a very moving and dynamic set that shows Interpol tenacity.
Overall: 8.3/10 Track Listing:
1. Success - 8.5 2. Memory Serves - 8.0 3. Summer Well - 7.5 4. Lights - 9.0 5. Barricade - 9.0 6. Always Malaise (The Man I Am) - 8.5 7. Safe Without - 9.0 8. Try It On - 8.0 9. All of the Ways - 9.0 10. The Undoing - 7.5
