Weezer (Blue Album)

Weezer

Very rarely do bands get it exactly right on their first go, but that's what Weezer managed to do with their 1994 debut. It's a goofy, yet endearingly sweet record packed with one undeniable hook after another. The singles; the grungy Say It Ain't So, the woozy and absurd Undone - The Sweater Song, and the noble Buddy Holly, all hold up incredibly well. However, the album has withstood the test of time thanks to the strength of its deep cuts. My Name Is Jonas and Surf Wax America both standout thanks to their quickly picked guitar arpeggios. Even at eight minutes, Only In Dreams has become an unlikely fan favourite due to its lumbering bass riff, twinkling clean guitars, and dramatic bridge that sees the band completely breaking things down only to build it back up towards a climactic finish. It's a perfect set of songs, and could possibly be the genre's most defining example.

10

Standouts: Every single song.

Power Pop (1994) DGC. Reviewed July 27^th, 2024

Pinkerton

Weezer

To be honest, I never understood the battle between the Blue Album and Pinkerton, and after revisiting the band's follow-up to quite possibly the best power pop record ever, it makes even less sense to me why Pinkerton is even in the conversation. At its best, the album's dishevelled nature translates into a pretty wild and exhilarating time (No Other One and El Scorcho). At its worst, it comes across like amateur night at your local bar or a drunken karaoke group sing-a-long (The Good Life and Falling For You). Lyrically, this record is steeped in a bitterness and resentment resulting in an offering that is no where near as fun or as endearing as its predecessor.