Return of the Rentals

The Rentals

Between the first two Weezer albums, bassist Matt Sharp formed The Rentals and released the ironically titled debut, Return of the Rentals. Their approach to catchy pop rock was not too different from those early Weezer records, but I always found The Rentals to be slightly more on the nerdy, quirky side. The inclusion of prominent Moog synthesizers, violins, and soft female backing vocals came together with Sharp's driving, distorted bass, and Patrick Wilson's (also of Weezer) steady drumming to create a fun, lighthearted sound. All this is perhaps best represented on the single Friends of P. Its appeal is immediate with these quaint 'ooh woo hoo hoo' ad libs, the measured verses with just bass, drums, and Sharp's almost alluring vocal. The Moogs come out in full force in the chorus as one bolsters the distorted bass while another plays this very rudimentary melody.

If I'm being honest, a lot of the music here is quite rudimentary. Furthermore, Sharp's vocal abilities are not all that strong either. However, the simplicity and (I guess you could say) amateur presentation I think is what gives this album a considerable amount of charm. It doesn't work all the time though. While I like the heavy punches on My Summer Girl, the vocal harmonies on the chorus are some of the roughest on the record. And while I generally don't have a problem with the simple lyrics, Brilliant Boy is kind of breaching that barrier into painfully numbing. I much more prefer the 'down on your luck' vibe of These Days and the ways Sharp illustrates his shortcomings through those lyrics.

I get the impression that The Rentals are one of those 90s hidden gems - despite the Weezer connection - and I'm not sure why honestly. The songs are incredibly simple and accessible, the band boasts a fairly unique sound palette and they didn't seem to take things seriously at all which I thought was cool thing to do in the 90s. Sure the vocals could perhaps be a little more commanding, and the harmonies could have been cleaned up a little, but overall, Return of the Rentals is an easy-breezy, pleasurable listen. It satisfies on the most basic of levels.