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Our bass playing forum boss checks out Weezer's latest
Publisher: Geffen
Fri, 20 May 2005
by: Fazz
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Weezer! What can I say about this band? I’ve followed their progress very carefully since the release of their debut “Blue Album” and its excellent single way "Buddy Holly" back in 1994. And after 11 years I’ve come to this conclusion… I Love WEEZER. In my humble opinion they would have to be one of the greatest rock acts in recent times.
Following on from their highly excellent “Maladroit”, Weezer offer us “Make Believe”. Make believe launches straight into its first track “Beverly Hills”. If you’ve seen the clip for this you’ll recognize Weezer’s penchant for creating excellent music videos. This one features the legendary Hugh Heffner calling up the boys to see if they’ll play at the Playboy Mansion. Excellent. “Beverly Hills” reminded me at first a little of Steve Miller’s “The Joker”, with its cruisy, laid back tempo.
Track number 2 is “Perfect Situation”. A textbook Weezer song with huge rocking guitar riffs, blistering lead guitars and soulful lyrical work. This song reminds me more of material from their “Maladroit” release of a few years ago. The piano in the background is also a nice touch. “This is Such a Pity” is next up. This track is a total throwback to Weezer’s 80’s radio rock heritage. Reminiscent of acts like The Cars, any fan of 80’s rock will love this one.
On to track 4 and we have “Hold Me”. Weezer throttle back the rock pace a little at this stage. True to form, the band throws in tracks like this to slacken the pace a little and keep the album interesting from start to finish. The chorus to this song is strong and catchy and keeps the toes tapping. The next song is “Peace”. Keeping the pace rather mellow, Weezer pick up the rockin’ factor a little more with this one. In an interesting twist, this song reminds me a lot of some old Crowded House tracks from the 80’s.
“We are all on Drugs” gets the album rocking a little more. Again influencing heavily from 80’s guitar rock, this song is simple yet surprisingly catchy and fun. The lyrical content points to a darker meaning though. This is definitely one to crank up in the car for a big night on the town. Track number 7 is “Damage in Your Heart”. I don’t yet quite know what to make of this song. It’s kind of like a jerky mellow rock song with a sublime chorus. The harmonic work on the lead guitars in this song is wonderful, complimenting the chorus sections perfectly.
Up next we have “Pardon me”. 80’s revival seems to be a recurring theme with this record and “Pardon Me” is no exception. The chorus reminds me of some of Weezer’s material from “Pinkerton” through to “Maladroit”. Verse-wise this track, for some reason, reminds me of Queen. Don’t ask me why! “My Best Friend” launches your ears into a hard-rockin’ party mode. This is the kind of track you can listen to over and over, then throw it on at a huge party and watch the place disintegrate into a jumping mosh-fest!
The complete antithesis of the last track, “The Other Way” is another one of those tracks that may take a few listens to get your head around. Cruisy rock into and verses lead into smooth heavy guitar and vocal-laden chorus sections. Track 11, “Freak Me Out” is about as mellow as it gets, without turning into trip-hop. Beautiful vocals and harmonic guitar work opens the listener’s ears into what is a surprisingly amazing and well-written song.
Last up on “Make Believe” Weezer offer us “Haunt You Every Day”. Another 80’s-inspired rock ballad. Piano and lead guitar open the song giving plenty of space for Rivers’ amazing vocal talent. The chorus breaks and it almost brings a tear to the eye. Definitely a closing track, “Haunt You Every Day” finishes the album on a slightly downcast note.
As Weezer’s 5th studio album, “Make Believe” truly as a great rock album. Would we expect anything less from the guys that brought us “Buddy Holly”, “El Scorcho”, “Hash Pipe” and “Keep Fishin’”? NO. This album is also a little long than their previous releases rolling in at a welcome 45 minutes in length. As an added bonus the album features a multimedia component “The Making of Make Believe”, but for some strange reason my humble PC refuses to play it, so unfortunately I’ll be unable to report on that aspect of the album.
www.Weezer.com
by: Fazz
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More articles by Fazz
In short, Weezer Rock! If you’re a fan of this great American rock band’s earlier material, grab yourself a copy of “Make Believe” | |
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