Our main character’s saga of discovery that Weezer isn’t all that good continues. Nothing seems to make sense anymore. Parts 3 and 4 to come in the ensuing weeks.

The post Watch Me Unravel: A Weezer Coming of Age Comic Pt. 2 appeared first on SCAD Radio.

I began Weezer week a bit early so everything could be published on time and unfortunately that meant that I would be listening to Weezer while getting tattooed and getting my oil changed. I started with the blue album while walking to my first appointment. This album gave me 2016 summer camp nostalgia in some parts, “Creep” by Radiohead vibes in others.

Top Songs for Blue Album:

“My Name is Jonas” – This song made me think of when I was just a wee little cowboy and I had a crush on this super tall person who refused to show any interest in me whatsoever. But like in a good way?

“Buddy Holly” – WooOoo I look just like Buddy Holly! Wowow and you’re Mary Tyler Moore!

“Undone – The Sweater Song” – This is one of those songs that after I listened to it, I knew that I had heard it before on the radio, but I HAVE NEVER HEARD THE END! Oh my Lorde! It’s giving me The Labyrinth with David Bowie’s tight little pants vibes. It’s giving me “As the World Falls Down”. I want just this part in a little music box that I can give to my great grand nephew.

“Say it Ain’t So” – Listen, if you don’t like this song, ya wrong. That’s all I can say, ya’ll. She head bangs. She is a song I can cry to, but also sing at karaoke without making everyone think I’m trying to have a main character moment.

Worst Song:

“Holiday” – I got scared and thought this was gonna be “Holiday” by Greenday, but also, I thought it was gonna be “Holiday” by Greenday and it just isn’t.

I then continued on to Pinkerton. I vividly remember driving down the freeway while listening to this and, at some points, I genuinely wanted to roll down my windows to blare Weezer to the unsuspecting tourists of downtown Savannah.

Top Songs for Pinkerton:

“Tired of Sex” – This has the nasty grunginess of a pizza place that doubles as a punk show venue, but one that everyone respects.

“Pink Triangle” – Oop hehe I’m gay. But in all seriousness, I love the narrative. Just, “I’m dumb. She’s a lesbian.”

Literally the worst song I have ever heard:

“Butterfly” – This song gives me flashbacks to a date I had in 2018 where a guy played bass guitar in front of me for 2 whole hours. No singing. Just bass and occasional swearing at himself. This song is the embodiment of, ‘Dude, I didn’t even think you were hot to begin with, but I’m too polite to just walk away. I guess you are just gonna play this whole uh– song, directly at me, in the middle of this party. If I could find my phone I would send out an SOS, but I guess this is my eternal damnation, huh?’

3/14/2021

I got up this morning and decided to be productive, so I ended up listening to a bunch of

podcasts before work and had to consume all my Weezer for dinner. Listening to The Green Album, I don’t really have a favorite. Everything seemed cohesive, which was a pleasant change. EXCEPT FOR ISLAND IN THE SUN. I do not like this song. The first line says “When you’re on a holiday” and I said ‘oooo Holiday by Greenday,’ but no. I hate the wishy washy melody and the “hep hep” in the chorus. What do you mean “hep hep”???? I thought this was a song about being on the beach but it is SO sad sounding!

Going into Maladroit, I had heard literally nothing about it. I love all the edgy titles tho.

3/15/2021

Today is when I was supposed to have my road trip, but my sister got super sick unfortunately. It was listening to Maladroit that I realised that I no longer had favorites or least favorites. Weezer had become the background music to my daily struggles.

3/16/2021

Today at work, I put on Weezer to see the reaction I would get from people. Honestly, no one said much, until their cover of No Scrubs came on. A woman who was checking out said “Hey they didn’t sing this.” and I said “That’s Weezer” and everyone clapped.

3/17/2021

Around this time is when the momentum started to slow. I would listen to Weezer in my car, but nothing would stand out. I could not even remember which album I was on. I think I relistened to Make Believe too many times.

3/20/2021

Weezer has officially drained me. In the past few days, I found myself doing anything to avoid having to listen to music, so I would not have to listen to Weezer. I watched a whole show online. I rearranged my entire dorm. I believe, chronologically, I made it to the Red Album. My Spotify algorithm is so confused. I ended up making a friend who accidentally saw a Weezer concert, and though I chose to go on this endeavor, I feel the same. In both cases, we both agreed, “Oh! Hey! I guess that’s Weezer.” We both discovered something unique and mundane, the fact that Weezer exists and makes music. I know at the end of this week I was worried that I would become the biggest Weezer fan, but now I’m curious, does the biggest Weezer fan feel the same way about the ever changing sound as I do? In conclusion, “Ooh-wee-ooh, I look just

like Buddy Holly. Oh Oh, and you’re Mary Tyler Moore. I don’t care what they say about us anyways. I don’t care about that”.

-Sheriff

Check out the first installment of this experiment here!

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Program Director – Samuel Esterline : “Only In Dreams” from Weezer

Music Director – Hailey Feller : “Island In The Sun” from Weezer (Green Album)

Content Director – Alex Holmes : “El Scorcho” from Pinkerton

Graphics Director – Mel Petzoldt : “Cleopatra” from Everything Will Be Alright In The End 

Events Director – Cher Shaffer : “Buddy Holly” from Weezer 

Assistant Program Director – Dylan Gutierrez : “Endless Bummer” from Weezer (White Album) 

Listen now on Spotify Staff Picks – Weezer Week. Check out who’s who on “Meet the Staff”.

The post Staff Picks: Weezer Week Special Edition appeared first on SCAD Radio.

Artist’s note: “Watch Me Unravel” tells of the story of a young man, Hugo, going on a journey of self discovery through realizing that Weezer isn’t really all that amazing. Originally I was going to try and publish the whole thing today, but alas, I was only able to complete this part of it. Currently I’d say our hero is at a low point. We’ll see where the future takes him. New installments will hopefully be published in the coming weeks.

Disclaimer: Weezer is a perfectly fine band to enjoy! This is all tongue-in-cheek, all in good fun.

Check out our previous Weezer Week article here!

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Zerwee Part 1, or the White Album Deluxe Deluxe, was released in May 2019, because, as Cobb states, “got tired of waiting for Weezer to release another album so I made one myself.” The entire Zerwee project slips between an honest homage to the “glory days” of Weezer, with playful satire songs throughout. One of Part 1’s strongest songs, “1955”, is probably the most ridiculous on the EP. Lyrics like “We can sip our milkshakes and theorize about the moon” poke, no push, fun at the absurd lyricism Weezer has leaned into these days. (I’m looking at you “Thank God For Girls”). That being said, it’s not a bad listening experience, which at this point is doing better than many of Weezer’s actual releases.

Perhaps I’m biased as a shameful Pinkerton stan, but Zerwee Part 2 is where the project shines. Zerwee Part 1 is self-referential and a bit one note, but Part 2 really feels like an alternate timeline version of Pinkerton. I found myself relistening to the album frequently. There’s a lot of novelty in this project, sure, but Part 2 felt like a perfect Pinkerton substitute, without bringing me back to my pathetic high school memories.

When you’re 17 and feeling unlovable, Rivers Cuomo’s voice exclaiming “Why bother? It’s gonna hurt me / It’s gonna kill when you desert me” really resonates. But as the years go on, it starts to be a bit sad. Not in a depressed way, but in a Mr.-Cuomo-You-Were-26-When-This-Album-Came-Out kinda way. What may feel like an appropriate response to these feelings at the time fall a bit flat with some hindsight. The album takes itself way too seriously and feels incredibly bad for itself, too. “Pink Triangle” felt like a joke-y scenario until you realize that it’s serious. Zerwee Part 2, however, knows exactly what it’s about and makes the singer the butt of the joke, not the victim. It captures the joke-y vibe of an initial listen to Pinkerton, but without the guilt you feel once you inspect “Across The Sea”’s lyrics.

On “I Wish That I Was Younger”, the song breaks down into a KK slider rendition of the chorus. Obviously this is a departure from the inspiration, but it makes me wonder; If Rivers Cuomo was born in 1995 and released Pinkerton today would he include something like this? The loner, why-don’t-I-have-a-girlfriend archetype that Cuomo detailed back in 1996 still exists today, with some slight changes. The archetype today has a love of video games and memes and not taking themselves so seriously. So, if those were the conditions that raised him instead, why wouldn’t he have a KK Slider feature?

I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun with a Weezer album than I had with Zerwee. Both 1 and 2 bring out the best parts of Weezer, without all the baggage. It’s fun, silly music that I don’t have to think too much about. While this remains a parody album, the comment section for the Youtube video is surprisingly positive. I think it speaks to fact that fans of Weezer just want music that doesn’t try too hard to be so serious or so antagonistic. This album makes me yearn for a reality where Weezer made music for Weezer fans, not against Weezer fans. I think it solidifies the fact that Weezer’s legacy is important to music history but it still brings up the question: Does Weezer still make good music? I don’t know. But do they inspire better music? Absolutely.

Check out our previous Weezer Week article here!

The post Zerwee Captures the Sound of Pinkerton Without the Immature Lyrics appeared first on SCAD Radio.

On January 29th of this year Weezer released an anticipated album called OK Human, the name of which is a play on Radiohead’s OK Computer. Months ago Weezer announced they had planned to release an all acoustic, orchestral album and they delivered. This album was recorded with a 38-piece orchestra and entirely analog equipment. This ties into the album’s theme about human connection, which is kind of apt considering this was released while the COVID-19 pandemic was still ongoing–an event that has affected many people’s lives. 

Now, making an album that deals with technology addiction so to speak, as its theme, can come off as very pessimistic and maybe old-fashioned, but in my opinion only one track falls into this trap, but I will go over that later.

The album starts with the lead and only released single off of the album, which is “All My Favorite Songs”. I enjoyed it very much, I think it is one of Weezer’s stronger tracks and it has a great hook. The string melodies and accompaniment make the track all the more stronger. One great thing about the album is that the songwriting structurally works well, even in the songs I don’t feel strongly about. The next song describes Rivers and his wife’s favorite dish to get at their nearby theater, the keyboard is interesting, although the song is very short there’s nothing particularly special about it.

“Grapes Of Wrath” is an entertaining song, although it is a bit goofy name dropping Audible, a popular audiobook service, Cuomo also talks about the joys of reading and alludes to other novels. As mentioned previously the string accompaniment paired with the verses and chorus is phenomenal. This leads into “Playing My Piano” which at least sonically feels like two Beatles songs mixed together with “Weezer’s Style”. It’s almost reminiscent of “Hey Jude” and “Day in The Life” and this creates an interesting dynamic. The strings work very well with the piano. I like the piano being highlighted, I think it works well with Rivers’ voice and has a great melody.

There is one track that hinders this album and that is “Screens”. Although it fits well with the concept, lyrically it feels overly preachy about the fact that everyones “attached” to their screens especially in the chorus where it almost sounds like Rivers is in misery the way he emphasizes “Everyone stares at their screens”. Instrumentally, although I can’t pinpoint where the string accompaniments feel derivative, they’re definitely not as complex as on the other tracks.

The album is short but sweet: a good 30 minutes of enjoyable orchestral rock music. Besides “Screens” and some awkward lyrical bumps throughout the album, Rivers’ songwriting really shines through and Weezer proves that they can experiment with a new style and stick the landing. If you’ve been hesitant to check out Weezer before, or even if you’re a hesitant Weezer superfan then this is the album to check out, it is by far one of their best so far.

Favorite Tracks: Grapes Of Wrath, Playing My Piano, All My Favorite Songs, Bird With a Broken Wing

Least Favorite Track(s): Screens

Check out our previous Weezer Week article here, and see what Weezer related shenanigans we’re up to on TikTok here!

The post OK Human Takes Weezer in a Surprisingly Pleasant Direction appeared first on SCAD Radio.

I still believe I am the best candidate to go on this intense journey. I know the least about Weezer compared to everyone on staff and I have the biggest b*lls. Though I know the consequences, which I will dive further into in the next few paragraphs, I’m still choosing to dedicate (or waste) my spring break listening to their albums. I am currently under the impression that they have at least 4 albums and a handful of singles or EPs to listen to. 

I have very little knowledge about this band as of current. As I have said, I know of at least two of their songs, one of which is a cover, and that they are some sort of punk or pop punk in the same way that Smash Mouth is. I believe their lead is a man named Rivers Cuomo and he has a very nice mustache that makes him attractive and everyone is uncomfortable with that. Somehow the band correlates with the Wiggles and I am very excited to see how that works. 

At this time, I would like to discuss some of my fears going into this project. The most obvious ones are:

1. What if I like Weezer?

2. I am going on a 4-hour trip to North Carolina during Weezer week

If I do like Weezer, I am aware there is a stigma to it. This does not phase me as much as the fact that I will be driving for 4 hours with only Weezer and my podcasts. Some of the bigger and more ridiculous fears I have are of River Cuomo himself. I genuinely know nothing of this man except that sometimes he will investigate Weezer related fan things. What if I upset this man? Will it have consequences? He might have a beautiful mustache, but mustaches are meant to conceal, and do we really know what all Rivers Cuomo might be hiding? Long story short, I fear this man and how he will potentially ruin my life, be it with music or an act of god. 

Realistically, I will probably realize that I know more Weezer songs than I thought. After a week of listening to just Weezer, I am sure that I will have favorite Weezer songs, and I might even learn some of the lyrics. (author’s note: Did Weezer sing “Holiday”? I do not think anyone actually knows the words to that song.) [Editor’s note: Yes, “Holiday” is a Weezer song.] While on my road trip, I am most likely going to be taking intermittent breaks to listen to podcasts, such as SCAD Radio’s Salacious Scriptures.

In conclusion, if I do not make it though this week, I bequeath my cat to my co-worker who shall be referred to as Peaches and ask my second co-worker, Chicken, to acquire many frogs for a proper burial. You will hear from me at the end of Weezer Week with my findings and opinions.

Sincerely,

Sheriff

The post Weezer Experiment: Cher’s Thoughts on the Band Before Listening appeared first on SCAD Radio.

Two years of doing this and I’ve delivered only one correct prophecy (once again, thank you 6ix9ine’s prosecutors), but that isn’t going to stop me from firing off my forecast of 2021.

Lorde will return and have the best album of 2021.

Nervous young adult hearts everywhere can finally rejoice in 2021. Since dropping the stunning Melodrama in 2017, Ella Yelich-O’Connor retreated back to New Zealand and went cold on social media. But that all changed last fall when she posted her first-ever Instagram story asking fans to vote in Kiwiland’s upcoming election- and promising a gift for us in 2021 if they did.

An astonishing sense of self-awareness earned the now 24-year-old’s first two albums a sacred spot in the minds of Millennials and Gen Zers everywhere. The expectations for number three are undoubtedly high, but Lorde is yet to disappoint us- especially since she’s reuniting with producer Jack Antonoff, the architect for many of Melodrama’s greatest scenes. And speaking of reuniting…

boygenius will reunite and release new music.

Shattering crescendos and angelic vocal performances powered the debut EP for boygenius, a supergroup composed of indie rock titans Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus. The trio’s 2018 release showcased the band’s only six songs in existence- a mark to be expanded upon this year. While my initial review was severely underscored (I hadn’t quite figured out my scoring system just yet), it remains one of the most magnificent EPs of the last decade. Bridgers has been able to drop a major release every year since 2017, a feat likely to be retained in 2021. This time it’ll be with Baker and Dacus by her side.

Van Weezer will be the worst album of 2021.

I predicted it would happen in the 2020 edition of this article, so forgive me if it sounds like I’m rehashing an old formula that’s known to not work. Then again, that’s actually the perfect way to describe Weezer in the 21st century. Most of Cuomo and Co.’s clumsy pop-rock records from the past two decades have been average at best, and their most recent studio LP failed to prove any signs of gas still in the tank.

2021 will be another year of Sky Ferreira not releasing music.

The disappearing act of Sky Ferreira’s music career began following her debut album Night Time, My Time’s release back in 2013. Since then she’s been fairly busy- but not in the recording studio. Between cameos in Baby Driver and the Twin Peaks revival alongside an active Instagram account, we’ve only heard a couple of singles from the “Everything is Embarrassing” singer lately. If the sophomore try couldn’t come out all these years when things were, dare I say, “normal,” a year consumed by quarantine is more than enough to stop it from getting closer to its drop date. Expect to cling to 2019’s “Downhill Lullaby” single for at least another 365 days.

The post SCAD Radio’s Yearly Look into the Future: 2021 Predictions appeared first on SCAD Radio.

Grimes will have the best album of 2020.

Last year, I called that Elon Musk’s lady would win 2019’s album race. Unfortunately, she only came around to a handful of singles, therefore making me look like a fool. Promising a dip to Claire Boucher’s earlier days, “My Name is Dark” and “So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth” juxtapose Art Angels’ electro-pop hybrid. When her fifth LP Miss Anthropocene drops in February, our chips will be on Grimes.

Poppy will be the breakout artist of 2020.

Described by the artist themself as “post-genre,” Poppy’s stage name could be quite misleading. Singles “Concrete” and “BLOODMONEY” play like diary entries of early Avril Lavigne with cliff notes from Pantera thrown in. This is the exact kind of rule-breaking music that’s exploded lately- just look at the twisted take on pop music Billie Eilish introduced to the mainstream. Poppy’s album I Disagree drops today.

Normani’s debut album will follow the story of Carly Rae Jepsen’s E•MO•TION.

The former Fifth Harmony member’s debut single “Motivation” was a stunning achievement in pop- that feeling of listening to something clearly radio-friendly, but even anti-Top 40 purists can fall in love with? It’s a rare emotion last felt with, well, E•MO•TION. Despite being a commercial failure, Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2015 LP became a sacred cult hit for those often put off by stuff atop Billboard. Its varied list of producers gathered the best in the industry to craft nostalgic sounds of ‘80s pop, similar to the path Normani appears to be venturing down with ‘00s R&B. Here’s hoping the latter’s upcoming release will garner more attention than CRJ’s opus.

Van Weezer will be the worst album of 2020.

Just when it seemed like Weezer was finally on the brink of recapturing their ‘90s glory thanks to back-to-back charmers Everything Will Be Alright in the End and White Album, Pacific Daydream and The Black Album relegated them back to cruise ship music. And let’s not talk about that covers LP they did. It’s a shame, too- Rivers Cuomo has been notoriously afraid to take risks as they did on the untamed Pinkerton, and it’s costed them their reputation in the 21st century. Van Weezer won’t be any different.

Migos will break up.

The Atlanta trio’s always been on good terms as a family and a band, but there’s a reason people can only handle a visit to their kinfolk twice a year. Migos will finally call it quits, though it won’t be through an N.W.A.-style meltdown. While they’ve said their solo albums didn’t mean the group was splitting, it’s undeniably a step away from the rat pack they were back in the “Versace” era. And they’d be doing it after the planned Culture III– the possible conclusion of a would-be trilogy. 

The post 2020 Music Predictions appeared first on SCAD Radio.

In some ways, Black Album is a return to form. We’re back to the California-infused teen-lyriced rock songs that made the band famous and sparked a revival of faith in some fans with Weezer (White Album). At this point, Weezer’s biggest strength is creating reliably catchy songs. Some of these melodies will crawl their way into the deepest cracks of your brain, popping up at the most inopportune of times. Also, props to Cuomo for having some genuinely heartfelt lyrics. Some of the best moments of the album are when he writes from his own perspective–when he shows his frustration with the notoriously difficult fans, like on “Zombie Bastards”. Even “I’m Just Being Honest” taps into some of the specific difficulties of being a real person instead of vague adolescent archetype. The bridge of “Too Many Thoughts in My Head” took me aback for a moment, wondering if Rivers is okay or not. But, after that brief moment of human connection, it was right back to pop song clichés.

The whole album seems rather overproduced, even in comparison to other more recent projects. It seems that Weezer was trying to do some genre experimentation, but most of those attempts are generally unsuccessful, specifically in the cases of “Byzantine” and the closer, “California Snow”. They both come off as gimmicky and at points, are somewhat annoying. The lyrics are another point of contention; as aforementioned, there are definitive bright spots, but the majority are either trite, boring, cringey, or a harrowing combination of the three. Die-hard Weezer fans probably aren’t going to be excited about this release, but I can’t imagine anyone else really taking to it either.

Despite the overall catchiness of some of these tunes, once the earworm factor fades away, it’s a rather forgettable album. It’s not quite funny enough, and it’s not quite serious enough, so it lands in a no man’s land of emotional and tonal dissonance. Probably the nicest thing to be said about this album is this: for the majority of the songs, it isn’t a terrible listen. It’d actually be a decent album to put on in the background–maybe a good soundtrack to your dad’s barbecue. But the closer you listen, the worse it gets. There are some rewarding momentary highs, but in reality, there are better albums to listen to.

SCAD Radio gives this album a 5/10.

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