Weezer: Raditude

Weezer: Raditude When Weezer revealed that their seventh studio album would be titled Raditude, it crushed any hope that Weezer was going to reel in the outlandishness that has marred their production in the latter half of this decade. But while Raditude will win no awards for modesty, it wouldn't take much to top their 2008 self-title output or 2005's Make Believe. I came into this album not expecting much, perhaps that's why I was so pleasantly surprised. The songwriting is not that of the Blue Album and certainly not Pinkerton, but its probably akin to the Green Album or Maladroit. The album's lead single "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" is a fun danceable rock song about awkward lust. The acoustic guitar riff the song is based around is catchy and the arena rock chorus is emblematic of what Weezer has become. The lyrics are nothing to write home about but they are less cringe-inducing than "We Are All On Drugs". The much publicized Lil Wayne collaboration for "Can't Stop Partying" is not nearly as bad as some internet music websites have made it seem. Lil Wayne's verse is probably the weakest part of the song; it's reminscent of KRS-One contributing a verse to R.E.M.'s "Radio Song". That's not to say there aren't some incredible ridiculous moments on Raditude that make the listener scratch their head. The Slumdog Millionaire inspired "Love Is The Answer" is a combination of two things I never thought I would see together: Bollywood and Weezer. The result is a near unlistenable mess. "In The Mall" is also an incredibly weak track but it becomes a little more clear why when you find out Patrick Wilson actually wrote the track. With how bad Weezer's last two records have been, its impossible not to call Raditude a triumph despite its weaknesses. It's is obvious not a return to 90's form but Weezer definitely applies the hard rock/glam rock experiments of Maladroit to the poppiness of the green album to create something actually enjoyable to listen to. Rating: 7.3/10 MP3: Weezer "Let It All Hang Out" Buy: iTunes, get the vinyl at Insound