ARTIST: Weezer SONG/ALBUM: Make Believe GENRE: Alternative RATING: 7
Weezer leader Rivers Cuomo is as angsty as ever on the group's first album in three years, but he seems infused with a different kind of sincerity than on the band’s four predecessors -- there's less hand-wringing here, and a more palpable originality in moments of contrition ("Pardon Me," "The Damage in Your Heart") and even un-conflicted happiness ("My Best Friend"). There's also plenty of crunch, with producer Rick Rubin helming a full-throttle guitar attack on the stomping first single "Beverly Hills," the new wave nod "This is Such a Pity" and the chugging rocker "We Are All on Drugs." Even the sound of quieter, melodic tracks like "The Other Way," "Hold Me" and "Freak Me Out" feels meaty, mitigating Cuomo's more cloying heartstring-tugging tendencies.
