Weezer -- Green Album
9/10
The first three Weezer albums all announce their intentions with their first track. Blue starts with the wistful, yet upbeat nostalgia of "My Name Is Jonas." Pinkerton starts with the troubled romanticism of "Tired of Sex." Green, their third album, starts off with the driving, fuzzy, yet gentle, straightforward power pop-rock of "Don't Let Go." The song's bridge features a guitar solo, which is just the sung melody from the verse recreated by the guitar, and after one last chorus, "Don't Let Go" is over in three minutes.
And that's every single
song on Green, give or take a few seconds and the driving. Speaking of
driving, Green is perfect road trip (preferably to the beach) fodder. Its
ten songs might come in at barely over twenty-eight minutes, but the album is so pleasant
and non-threatening, it can easily loop two or three times without offending.
That's its biggest blessing and biggest curse.
However, with time, I've found
the curse aspects fading away, and the blessing aspects sticking around. Twenty
years on, Green is supremely listenable, Pitchfork's 4.0/10.0 review be
damned, and damned again, and then damned again after that for good measure. These ten tracks feel like Cuomo and the band were just trying to create a perfect song ten times, paring each one down to its bare essentials. Even though you can essentially see Rivers Cuomo standing in the studio, playing
his parts, staring straight ahead while thinking
Oh, you didn't like the weird specificity of Pinkerton? Well, how about
this?
it also sounds like he's...smiling. Green is full of good vibes--it
sounds exactly like the shade of green chosen for its artwork. And bonus, it
gave Cuomo confidence in himself to finally accept what was once his most hated
creation, Pinkerton. Plus, who can objectively argue that "Island in the
Sun" isn't a perfect song?
I think Green's magical staying power can be attributed to this: this album feels like Cuomo tried to write optimistic, upbeat, yet very lyrically general, non-personal, universal songs, while he himself was feeling a bit sad. That sadness can't help but seep out just a little bit, creating one of those strange, happy-sad emotions (YES, I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PULL OUT THIS PHRASE IN SO LONG) that only the French have a word for. And thus ends Weezer's opening trio of albums, which feel greatly informed by one another, and fit together as a near perfect trilogy and emotional arc.
2001 Geffen Records
1. Don't Let Go 2:59
2. Photograph 2:19
3. Hash Pipe 3:06
4. Island in the Sun 3:20
5. Crab 2:34
6. Knock-down Drag-out 2:08
7. Smile 2:38
8. Simple Pages 2:56
9. Glorious Day 2:40
10. O Girlfriend 3:50
I think Green's magical staying power can be attributed to this: this album feels like Cuomo tried to write optimistic, upbeat, yet very lyrically general, non-personal, universal songs, while he himself was feeling a bit sad. That sadness can't help but seep out just a little bit, creating one of those strange, happy-sad emotions (YES, I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PULL OUT THIS PHRASE IN SO LONG) that only the French have a word for. And thus ends Weezer's opening trio of albums, which feel greatly informed by one another, and fit together as a near perfect trilogy and emotional arc.
2001 Geffen Records
1. Don't Let Go 2:59
2. Photograph 2:19
3. Hash Pipe 3:06
4. Island in the Sun 3:20
5. Crab 2:34
6. Knock-down Drag-out 2:08
7. Smile 2:38
8. Simple Pages 2:56
9. Glorious Day 2:40
10. O Girlfriend 3:50
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