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Weezer - "Maladroit"
Rivers Cuomo has become, unwittingly, one of the sharpest trendsetters in modern alternative music. His black-rimmed glasses have become the staple of the so-called "emo" look, and the first two albums Weezer created have become quasi-legendary in their scope and legacy.
The self-titled debut album, now known as the "Blue Album", set the Alt-Rock movement ablaze, with "Buddy Holly" and "Undone" helping to define a burgeoning movement. Their sophomore effort, "Pinkerton," has become an emo touchstone after being initially labelled a bust. All this has fueled expectations for Cuomo and company to produce an instant classic every time out.
The newest offering, "Maladroit", brings the Weezer sound to a different level; whether or not this level is a movement for the positive is up in the air, but the shifting sounds must be given adequate props. Weezer has tossed aside their previous 'geek-rock' sound, and created in "Maladroit" what can only be described on any level as a pure rock album.
While sound in theory, the album doesn't come off with the same catchiness as the Blue Album, and doesn't nearly reach the depth and personal nature of Pinkerton. That's not to say that the album sucks - on the contrary, Maladroit has entered my heavy rotation for driving-time, windows-down rocking.
The first single, "Dope Nose", is a chanting, formulaic rocker that doesn't break much new ground from the similarly-titled/themed "Hash Pipe". From there, the CD enters into its best cut, the catchy and hook-laden "Keep Fishin'", which is both the most similar to the 'old' Weezer sound and most likely to be remembered by the MTV set.
Past this, the CD carries on into a series of same-but-different tunes, each delivering a maximum of guitar-heavy rock with a minimum of heavy lyrical content. In short, aside from the absolutely brutal "Slob", the CD delivers just what the title promises from the outset - something different, slightly awkward, but not something intense.
Rating: 7/10
Suggestion: purchase if you're a fan of the genre
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