Weezer's New Album Rocks Hard

Casey Hudacko ‘17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer 

Born in the crazy time known as the early 90’s, Weezer is a band that has stood the test of time through the millennium and keeps rocking fans’ socks off with every album they release.  Compared to their last album, titled Hurley, the new album,  Everything Will Be Alright in the End, has heavier guitar and a more hard rock feel to it. Frontman Rivers Cuomo rocks the guitar and lead vocals, while Brian Bell keeps the rhythm guitar going, as well as the keyboard, and backup vocals. Then there’s Patrick Wilson on the drums and Scott Shriner with backup vocals and bass. The newest addition to their fairly substantial list of records will keep people’s feet tapping and heads banging. 

The album starts off with the song “Ain’t Got Nobody,” which was just released as the latest single off the album. It opens with an interesting recording of a child’s saying that they had another nightmare. A calming motherly voice then proclaims, “everything will be alright in the end.” This is a very interesting touch that really does a great job of introducing the album and tying in the album title with the first track, making track one the pseudo-title track of the album. It has a repetitive riff and lyrics that make it easy to follow along with and jam out to. But about two minutes into the song, there is a shredding guitar solo that is totally unexpected but will take fans’ breath away. 

The second song on the album, “Back to the Shack,” is a testament to getting back to their roots as a band. It is probably most hard rock song on the album, as it includes heavy guitar and a solid rhythm. There are some pretty cool lyrics that reference the band’s past, such as, “take me back, back to the shack, back to the start with the lightning strap,” an obvious reference to Cuomo’s signature lightning strike guitar strap. The band released a music video to “Back to the Shack” just a few weeks ago. 

Another favorite from Everything Will Be Alright in the End is “I’ve Had it Up to Here.” Cuomo’s vocals really shine in this tribute to nonconformity and all things different and unique. 

“Cleopatra” was the first single that Weezer released from this album, and the first 20 seconds or so are strikingly different from their usual style. The opening of the song features an acoustic guitar and a harmonica, something that isn’t usually heard on a Weezer album. Then the electric guitar kicks in along with soft vocals. This song is somewhat slower than the others on the album, but that changes about halfway through the song. At another point in the song, the heavy electric guitar kicks in again and the sound of the vocals become a little more feisty.  A classic Weezer guitar solo goes into the chorus and keeps the energy up for the remainder of the song. 

Closing off the album is the song “III. Return to Ithaka,” which is an instrumental song with no vocals at all. This is a really bold choice on how to finish an album, but it really works. Every instrument has a moment to shine in this two and a half minute song that features piano among the two guitars, bass, and drums.  Although it has no catchy lyrics to sing along to, fans will still find themselves banging their heads along to the wailing guitar and fast-paced drums. 

Everything Will Be Alright in the End is the ninth album for these seasoned veterans of alternative and indie rock.  Fans of Weezer will really dig this album.  For those who aren’t already fans of the band, this album will be sure to convert them. Give it a listen and see. 

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