Let’s start off with this: I never thought Weezer got as gut-wrenchingly terrible as many critics and fans did. Extremely inconsistent? Yes. Most of their albums in the past 10 years have had a couple of good tracks surrounded by filler and mediocrity, as if frontman Rivers Cuomo was writing on autopilot. When I first heard about Weezer’s new album, “Everything Will Be Alright in the End,” I was slightly apprehensive. The band hasn’t put a memorable full album out in a while, and their promise to return to their sound of old wasn’t the first time they had said that. And while not reaching the heights of a “Pinkerton” or the self-titled blue album, “Everything Will Be Alright in the End,” finally feels like Weezer is at least having some fun and being somewhat sincere with their songs again.
Album-opener “Ain’t Got Nobody,” begins with some muffled radio tuning sounds, suddenly followed by a sound clip of a mother telling a scared child, “Don’t worry honey, everything will be alright in the end.” It’s a theme that’s repeated throughout the album, which often self-references Weezer’s past. A thundering bassline and chugging guitar (reminiscent of “Hash Pipe”) start things out in classic Weezer fashion, before Cuomo comes in with his ever-teenage lyrics, “Ain’t got nobody / Ain’t got nobody / Ain’t got no one to really love me.”
While lead single “Back to the Shack,” hams it up with cheesy-yet-earnest lyrics (“Rockin’ out like it’s ‘94,” anyone?) and “Eulogy for a Rock Band” and “I’ve Had It Up To Here” are solid tracks, things kick more into gear with “The British Are Coming.” While solid and fun, if not innovative musically, the song is a wonderful retelling of the American Revolution, and offers the opportunity for one of the best lyrics of the year in, “Punk-ass redcoats trying to run the show / Telling me what to do and where to go.” It’s Weezer at their unashamed goofiest, reminding us why the “nerd rock” label was originally applied to them in the best kind of way.
However modestly good the album is for the first nine songs, the last four more than anything prove that Weezer still have something in the tank. “Foolish Father” truly serves as the album’s thematic core — with a grungy hook, Cuomo’s lyrics are apparently directed to his daughter to forgive him, and that he’s trying the best he can. But the apologetic nature of the lyrics can also be seen as reconciliation with the father he once despised in “Say It Ain’t So” (a lyric from “Back To The Shack” also mentions “I made up with my dad”). As the song dips down in speed, a voice that sounds like Bethany Cosentino from Best Coast (who also contributed vocals to the song “Go Away”) starts singing in repetition, “Everything will be alright / in the end,” before being joined by Cuomo and his bandmates. The song is as much of a reassurance to the audience as to themselves, as the band needs to remind themselves of their capabilities despite their inconsistencies.
While this could serve as the end of the album, a three-track suite which includes the songs, “I. The Waste Land,” “II. Anonymous” and “III. Return To Ithaka,” serves a fitting grand finale. The suite feels tacked on, but in the best kind of way — as if Weezer were feeling confident and jammed for a couple of tracks and happened to get it on record. The songs, mostly instrumental, show the band’s tightness and musical talent in quickly switching styles throughout the course of the three short tunes.
While some critics may peg “Everything Will Be Alright in the End” as just a slightly above-average attempt at Weezer trying to recapture their old glory, the album and band deserve more credit than that. It’s by no means a perfect or innovative album, but it invigorates some life back into a band that so desperately needed some. If anything, the final four songs especially give me hope and — dare I say it — good expectations for the next Weezer album. Though it took them awhile, Weezer is at least to an extent back — it only took a self-fulfilling album title to show not just us, but themselves that.
Rating: 3.75 stars
