Weezer - Make Believe

Weezer’s a pretty odd duck, especially Rivers Cuomo himself. He defies all the conventions of rock and roll stardom, both in appearance and attitude. He makes serious rock music that anyone can embrace, but he also represents a demographic that mostly goes unnoticed. The geeky, awkward, frail and painfully shy guys who get the sand kicked in their face at the beach, and retreat to their bedrooms to play death rock and fantasize about the head cheerleader.

Weezer’s fifth album, Make Believe, is a synthesis of the two sounds and attitudes they have taken in the past. On the one hand, it’s very pop-oriented and catchy, and even a little happy. On the other hand, its emotional blood-letting and gushing sentimentality are enough to rival any emo band. Pinkerton had that going on, but the music was angry, visceral and gutsy, whereas Make Believe is mostly positive. I’m not sure how much I like this new flower-sniffing, I-have-erectile-dysfunction-but-I’m-still-smiling Rivers, but I guess it’s a little better than the bitter, misogynistic variety. What made Pinkerton so great, despite its over-arching maleness, was its honesty. Make Believe seems just a little bit too contrived, and I don’t think I buy it.

Rivers has definitely matured as a lyricist since The Blue Album, as his lyrics have a bit more eloquence to them than usual. Also, his guitar skill seems to have grown in leaps and bounds. The Green Album had me seriously worried, as all the guitar solos mirrored exactly the melodies sung in the verses. Maladroit assuaged that fear, but the songs weren’t very good, with a few exceptions. In truth, Make Believe isn’t a whole lot better, but there’s an honesty that was missing from the previous two albums, and a willingness to work through the problems rather than hiding behind big guitars. The problem is that he can’t seem to make up his mind between saying “I’ve got problems” and “I’ve got the solutions.” All the songs paint either a very grim picture, or a sickeningly cheerful one.

“Beverly Hills” starts off with a wicked good beat, and has a sense of fun that is pretty rare in this day and age. Weezer can always be counted on to provide a healthy dash of fun. The best example is the video for “Keep Fishin’,” which resurrected the Muppets from the dusty vault of TV history, and reminded us all that rock and roll can and should make you laugh. That fun drops off after the first track, but thankfully it’s replaced by eloquence and even-handedness. The gentle flow of emotions quickly becomes a rushing river, however, and by “Peace,” you’re wishing you had a life preserver. A good example of the sweetness making your teeth ache would be “My Best Friend,” which has a great sound to it, but the lyrics simply stab it dead. Its sappy sentimentality kills any chance of it rocking us, and we just end up wondering if Rivers has gone completely soft. Does Rivers really expect us to believe that he’s NOT a tortured soul when he just spent 7 of the last 8 tracks convincing us he was?

Rivers Cuomo is very smart, and he walks a fine line between sugary pop and grinding heavy metal. Sometimes he slips up, but experience serves him well. I just wish he would let down all the walls, and make an album that really told us how he felt. As it stands, though, Make Believe comes closest to the mark.

Prime Cuts:
Beverly Hills
This is Such a Pity
Perfect Situation

22 Rating: 8

Evanescence - Fallen

At last, a breath of fresh air in the dismal world of goth rock. No one did, but I guess someone should have figured that the solution to making goth rock fresh and new again was to have someone of a different gender sing it. Amy Lee simply glows with appeal and earnestness on Evanescence’s debut album. What’s great about it is that it is tuneful and passionate as well as dark. What’s very important, as well, is that the darkness is not all-pervading and total. Amidst the stormy and shattered world of goth, there is hope for salvation. It is this that sets Fallen apart.

It’s also different in the fact that it’s very melodic and singable, something that a lot of other goth rock albums aren’t (that's right, I'm talking to you, My Chemical Romance). That is due mainly to Amy Lee’s voice, which is velvety and rich, like grape ice cream. That’s very different from the often abrasive and grating voices that this genre usually embraces. Evanescence takes a different tack than their contemporaries, beckoning you forward instead of dragging you along.

People have said that they are a pop band in goth clothing, that they’re just posers with a good marketing strategy. Honestly, if they are just selling something, I’d want to buy it anyway, so what does it matter? The prevalence of piano and the fact that they don’t rely on grinding guitars has made some people suggest that they’re somewhat less than a real rock band. That’s completely unfounded, in my opinion. Tori Amos with a harder edge? Maybe, but I would be more apt to think Black Sabbath with a sultry female voice.

I’m looking through it, and there isn’t a bad song on here. Each one keeps in mind that tunefulness and catchiness are just as important as emotion and forthrightness. That being said, the best are “Everybody’s Fool” and “Haunted.” The former starts off with a simply beautiful acoustic guitar, and paints a very intimate portrait of someone who is beautiful on the outside and ugly within. The latter has that Edgar Allen Poe phantasmagoria feel down perfectly, and Lee’s voice combined with the heavy guitar work spectacularly together.

What makes Fallen unique and great is the splendid combination of the soft with the abrasive. We’re getting very heavy music delivered on the back of a gorgeous voice, so gorgeous that we sometimes forget how heavy it is. I really think Amy Lee is one of the best singers of the last 10 years, not because she is particularly talented, but because she is able to create an atmosphere with her voice. Her delivery and presentation is honest and true, but not in the way that makes you squirm in your seat. Other female artists have done that to me, made me want to leave the room. Amy Lee makes me want to give her a hug. How very odd that a goth band would elicit that type of reaction from me.

Prime Cuts:
Haunted
Everybody’s Fool
Bring Me to Life
Whisper

22 Rating: 16

Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want to Be

Ah, emo. What started as a club thing spiraled out of control until it burst through the walls of the box it was in. Oddly enough, with the walls down, it stayed in the box; it just wanted the view. Foundational bands like Jimmy Eat World, the Promise Ring, and Dashboard Confessional had a good thing going, but only if you like that sort of thing. If you go to a rock show to mosh, get drunk, and be crazy, maybe the Offspring would be more your speed. However, if crying your eyes out sounds like a ripping good time, well then go to a Taking Back Sunday show.

The thing is, like all baby phenomenons that catch the attention of the mass market, emo has a very limited scope. Jimmy Eat World isn’t really emo anymore, and when was the last time anyone heard from the Promise Ring? But instead of letting it fade back into the mists of history like disco and grunge, bands like Taking Back Sunday still want to keep it alive. Let it go, guys, let it go.

Still, though, Where You Want to Be is a pretty good record. Well, “pretty good” is a very loose term. It’s good in the respect that all the requisite elements that rubber stamp it “emo” are in place, almost perfectly so. I have a strange sort of affection for emo bands, even though they are beating a horse that’s starting to disintegrate. They’re just so earnest in their belief that this is the best music in the world, and you gotta respect that.

When you take a closer look, though, Taking Back Sunday starts to disintegrate just like that horse. Didn’t anyone ever tell them that talking louder doesn’t necessarily make you heard better? Their earnestness is refreshing, but Taking Back Sunday seems way too eager. They’re so anxious to tell you… what? I haven’t quite figured out what their message is, and the more time that passes the more I think that I never will. That’s okay, though; a band doesn’t have to have a message. The screaming, even if it’s not particularly negative, gets old after a while, and so does the heavy-handedness. If Death Cab for Cutie and Taking Back Sunday were to have a child (and it had the best features of each, not the worst) it would be awesome, and I’d buy it’s CD. As it stands, though, Taking Back Sunday’s puppy-like excitement and forthrightness is cute, but that’s it. The territory they cover has been covered by Jimmy Eat World, and covered better. That band figured out that harmony and gentleness are NOT cardinal sins. Taking Back Sunday hasn’t learned that lesson yet, but they will. After all, they’re just an emo band; they're not fully grown yet.

Prime Cuts:
A Decade Under the Influence
I Am Fred Astaire
Little Devotional

22 Rating: 7