May 15, 2001 - Weezer and The Green Album

A week after my last release a new band joins my library when Weezer released their third album "Weezer" (or more commonly known as "The Green Album") on May 15, 2001. But who is Weezer? They are a four-piece pop rock band from Los Angeles, California consisting of bassist Mikey Welsh, drummer Patrick Wilson, guitarist Brian Bell and frontman Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards). Weezer play a loud but very simple style of rock that is pretty accessible and not very flashy. That being said, this album was a massive success and it's the only full album I have by Weezer. Let's check it out!

The album kicks off with "Don't Let Go" and it's got a catchy, upbeat main riff (even though it's very simple and very repetitive) and Cuomo sings in is pop-y voice that is decent, but honestly nothing too special. This not only sums up this song, but it actually sums up the whole album pretty well! This was an upbeat opener, but it was honestly pretty forgettable. Up next is the least popular of the album's three singles and it's called "Photograph". It's got some very pop-y "oooh" backing vocals and another repetitive but solid sounding guitar riff leading the way. Just like the opener, there's a short "guitar solo", but it's really just a spotlight on the main guitar riff and it's pretty underwhelming. I can see why this was a single, it's very pop-y and accessible, but it's some more pretty basic rock. Track 3 is probably Weezer's most popular song, the wildly succesful hit single "Hash Pipe" and it's also got a pretty repetitive main riff, but this one is decently hard rock and it's undeniably catchy and cool. Cuomo hits some nice high notes in the verse and they ramp nicely into the chorus with some loud, cool guitars. It's a pretty catchy chorus as well and they connect it nicely back to the main riff. There's another simple guitar solo that at least sounds epic and cool this time, then it's right back for a final verse and chorus before they nicely finish things off. Definitely their best song (though that is pretty telling, because it's not amazing, just solid)! The next track was also a massive hit and it's titled "Island In The Sun". It's got a super breezy and chill guitar riff that carries the whole song and it's pretty hard not to lightly tap your toe along to this super catchy song. Cuomo sounds pretty good in this mood and after a couple light and breezy rounds they briefly turn things up with a nice heavier part that is a welcome shake-up! The guitar solo on this one is also epic and fits the mood perfectly and this is like, the definition of a radio single. It's really well done! Track 5 is "Crab" and it's got a distorted and solid lead guitar riff that carries this one the whole way through. All the songs on this album follow the same formula and this one is no different: a simple and repetitive main guitar riff, some pop-y singing by Cuomo and a guitar solo that is pretty damn similar to what the main riff is already. This also perfectly sums up the next song "Knockdown Drag-Out", which has an upbeat and catchy main riff, but that's all there really is to the whole song, which makes it alright but certainly not that good. Track 7 is "Smile" and it also fits the formula, but Cuomo sounds pretty good on this one with some faster singing parts. The main riff is so slow and simple, but it's loud and repetitive! The solo on this one is distorted and sounds pretty cool, but it's short and then it's right back to the main drag. Up next is "Simple Pages" and Cuomo sounds good leading the way once again overtop a formula fitting main riff. At this point they all start to blend together and this whole song is pretty forgettable honestly. Track 9 is "Glorious Day" and it's got a decently heavy main riff, but once again they just stick to the formula and let Cuomo sing another decent, pop-y verse. The final song on the album is "O Girlfriend" and even though the whole album is only about 29 minutes, I'm ready for it to wrap up, which is not a good sign. This song is particularly pop-y and a bit whiny from Cuomo, so it's probably my least favourite of a bunch that didn't have any true gems.

That is the end of "The Green Album" and I thought it was an okay album, but honestly it would be one of the first I got rid of if I needed to for some reason. There are a few cool songs, but most of them sound very similar and none of them are all that exciting, and just way too repetitive. No more albums for me, but Weezer will turn up again!

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