I remember really well when the Red Album came out. I believed that the album was gonna be Blue Album all over again, and that Rivers found that the sound in Maladroit, Pinkerton, and the Blue album, were the sounds that made Weezer so special. Well, not Maladroit, not for everyone else anyways. (I loved Maladroit, their heavier experimental sound broke from the pop, and I saw  it as the start of a return to the old Weezer). Make Believe was great, but it was too pop-ish for me. The Red Album was going to save the day, it was going to make me fall in love with Weezer all over again. Then like in traditional blues style, it let me down. I remember listening through it and yelling “Why God, why?!?” at the top of my lungs (Personally, I blame Scott Shriner, damn new bassist *shakes fist*). Apparently a lot of others agreed. I remember after the Red Album, Rivers said something about how it was their new sound and its just the natural evolution, or something along the lines of that. I responded by calling BS and having an “old good Weezer that ISN’T THE RED ALBUM” marathon. Now 2 years later with the release of Raditude, I realize something. Rivers is right, this is their new sound, and we can’t simply dwell in the past forever. They’re getting older, and naturally their sound will change. Its not selling out to a pop crowd, but its just them going the way that they want to go (which could be selling out). But Weezer’s history is like a parabola, the Red Album was the bottom of the parabola, and now they’re heading back up. I think they’ve found a mix of old and new sound in Raditude because some songs sound like if Weezer was taken right out of ‘94 and put into 2009 and forced to write and others sound like well, the middle ground between Make Believe and the Red Album. Like for instance, in August when I heard (If you’re wondering if I want you to) I want you to , it was music to my ears (see what I did with that?). It had the theme of awkward love and nervousness that was absolutely Weezer, and the sound that sounded more modern. It seems to me that Weezer is starting to see some sort of middle ground between the new sound and the old sound, and the product of that is great (it also redeemed Shriner, so if you’re reading this, you win this round.) Of course seriously I’m not blaming Shriner or saying that Weezer drove itself into the ground in a ball of crap-smelling fire.

[The review after the break]

The songs in the album are great. Like I said, Weezer has found the middle ground, and a lot of the songs show that they have. Some songs are more modern than the others, and none of them sound like they came from a list of songs cut out of Blue, but for the most part, they sound great. The album starts off with (If you’re wondering if I want you to) I want you to, which like I said, sounded amazing the first time that I heard it. Contains  a lot of the new Weezer and the ideas of the old Weezer. From there it goes on to I’m Your Daddy, which is a bit pop-punkish, enjoyable to listen to, its about partying, impressing a girl with the moonwalk, and sharing a good cheese fondue. Girl Got Hot is a tale of the old, ugly high school girl turning hot, and once again, a taste of both worlds from your friends in Weezer. Another song that I really like off this album. The song after that….well not so much. Can’t Stop Partying features Lil Wayne, which I have to say, is pretty cool. But Rivers Cuomo rapping, no, never, oh Lord my ears. He’s not bad, and he has my respect for trying something that he likes, but I just can’t picture him in the studio doing this, I felt the same way when Alone came out, and I still do. Theres nothing more I can say for the rest of the album except, I like it, and I’ll say it again, its the middle ground of Weezer, and you should at least give it a try. Maybe it’ll grow on you, maybe it won’t. I’m not the expert at music, but I love Weezer, and the only thing I can say about this album is that its a good album that really reminded me of what Weezer’s all about even if Rivers is now an old 40-year old that shouldn’t be talking about high school love (oh yeah, hes also married).  And also to all the people that say this album is just as bad as the Red Album, it isn’t, it really isn’t.

Hope you enjoy Raditude (cause I know I did!)

Disclaimer: I know nothing about music, don’t laugh at what is my opinion. Kthxbai!