For a lot of people (including myself) Weezer had spent the better half of the 00's releasing albums that just weren't all that good. And it seemed like that would be the legacy the band would leave behind, that of a once great band that peaked early and spent the rest of their years releasing sub-par material. However, that streak was effectively broken in 2014 when the band put out Everything Will Be Alright in the End, an album that saw the band return to form in a big way, and while I did greatly enjoy the album upon its release, I'd be lying if I said that LP hasn't quickly become my third favorite in all of Weezer's discography. That album was just so much fun, and had enough emotional moments to balance out some of the goofier moments, i.e. it was a quality Weezer album.
Now we have their latest release, another self-titled project (something the band does pretty much every other album) and while this album was teased with no less than five singles (exactly half the albums tracklist) I was still a bit nervous to hear if the band would be able to follow up EWBAITE. And I've gotta give it to them; they succeeded.
In fact, in a couple of ways, this LP is a tighter, more cohesive LP than the last one, with a loose 'concept' that centers around the beach and California, which leads to a lot of, uhh, 'sunny' tunes. This is especially true on a track like (Girl We Got A) Good Thing" which sounds like Weezer's take on a beach boy track; and the opener, which describes California as the perfect place for outcasts and people who just aren't seeing the bright side of life.
We also get a couple of straight rockers on here; such as "Do You Wanna Get High", which sounds like a long lost Pinkerton B-side (and a good one at that) and the track "King of the World" which may be my favorite Weezer barn burner in some time.
However, not every track on White Album is all about sunny days and happy vibes. For instance, the closer "Endless Bummer" sees the 'protagonist' of the album getting sick of all the sunshine, to the point where even 'kum ba yah' makes him violent. Also, the track "Thank God For Girls" is a song that seems to be about a kind of awkward dude talking about a girl he's obsessed over, but turns out to be a song that pretty much points at the finger at God for creating women for the purpose of making men desire them (a strange sentiment, I know). And while this track got a bit of heat from Weezer fans for its change in sound, (it was the first single after all) I've been a fan of this track from day one, I think it has a great, arena ready sound; the kind of stuff that Weezer has always flirted with.
Another left-turn on this album is the penultimate track "Jacked Up"; this track is lead by a very moody piano phrase, and sees Weezer climbing into his upper register. But while the sound is new for Weezer, the narrative is not; it's a song about getting worked up about a girl, a concept that Rivers perfected on Pinkerton, and something that he still does very well all these years later.
The only track I wasn't one hundred percent behind was the track "Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori", but I feel like it will grow on me over time (much like "Cleopatra" did).
It's incredible to think that I again live in a world that a Weezer album can be something to look forward to, and if the band can keep this quality up going forward, I don't see that changing any time soon.
8.9/10
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