Before I start this review, let me clear something up- there is no comparing Weezer in Pinkerton and Weezer In The Blue Album. So I won't try to explain my score as opposed to Pinkerton. They are completely different kinds of music, so no comments about how "you're wrong, blank album is better than blank album." Have your opinions, but don't make me read 'em, unless they are good positive points. Anyways, onto the review.
The Blue Album starts off with an amazing song that really shows off the album. "My Name Is Jonas" is filled with great harmonies, and it's a song that will have you singing along with it, because of it's simple yet engaging lyrics. What really makes this one of my favorite songs in the album is the finale to this song, where Rivers sings, "The workers are going home", building the momentum each time he says it. I can't help but shout it with him as the song draws to a close with the gentle guitar part.
"No One Else" seems a lot like "No Other One" of Pinkerton fame, and seeing as how Blue Album comes first, it makes me like No One Else a lot more. Eventually, I just got tired of "No Other One" so that's why I have a kind of bias towards no one else. However, an ingenious chorus draws me in, and this song leads into "The World Has Turned And Left Me Here."
I don't know quite what to say about this song. It isn't bad, it isn't good, and it isn't terrible. It's just so unique, that I really don't know what to say. It gets to be really good song as you listen to it more and more, but the first time I heard it, I didn't know if I liked it or not.
Buddy Holly is possibly this CD's standing point. It could probably stand on this song alone if it had to, because it's a fun song filled with great lyrics, and some of the catchiest tunes you'll ever hear. If you only listen to one song on this album, make it this one, it's a true pleasure to listen to.
Track five is a beautifully crafted song, and "The Sweater Song" really shows a maturity that we don't see often in Weezer. The conversations in between the choruses really compliment the song well, and the chorus' lyrics are just amazing. This is Weezer when it is writing it's best lyrics, although it's not my favorite song on the album.
Track 6, "Surf Wax America", is a track to which I've heard a lot of good comments. To tell you the truth, I really don't enjoy this song all that much. The second verse is good as it gets harder, and the end line of "all along the undertow is strengthining it's hold, I never thought it'd come to this, now I can never go home" is just riveting. But as a song in it's whole, not a very good one. That's going to upset a lot of people, and that's the one thing I'd like to see- how people react to my review of this particular song.
Track 7 is Say It Ain't So, and the first verse is pretty funny the first time you listen to it. In truth, it's not really that funny, but I found the hiney thing amusing. This chorus is great, and an amazingingly cool sounding guitar part picks up in the second chorus, adding a lot of depth to the song. A great song, with very cool melodies.
Track 8 is the sleeper of the CD, the one that sneaks up on you. "In The Garage" is partly so good because we can all sorta relate to that phase where we played something like "Dungeon Masters" and learned all the rules and things like that. Magic: The Gathering, anyone? And the second verse adresses the fact that songs can seem stupid to us, that no one would want to read the words we write. A great song with a secure feeling that you can relate to.
Track 9- Holiday- is a fun song- but, don't kill me here, I don't love it. The song has a great part at the end, but not much here for me.
Track 10 is long- really long- I actually haven't listened to the whole thing yet. I'll get back to you when I do, but I like it for the most part.