ELECTRIC DREAM MACHINE

Let me explain: Weezer's "Red Album" is everything that I hope my favorite bands don't become. I really couldn't care less about a band selling out; sometimes an artist attempting to reach wider audiences can create incredibly impressive, if more accessible, work. Even if it is a misfire, they oftentimes show a great amount of energy in these streamlined, compact, commercial efforts. Selling out gets a much worse rep than it deserves.

But you know what common musical practice goes overlooked? It's something that drives me crazy and fills me with dread whenever I come across it.

"Phoning it in".

"Phoning it in" is the practice of releasing an album full of uninspired music with songs that are treading over familiar ground. It's what AC/DC's made a career out of. It's at this point that music has become a force of habit to the artist and they have lost any passion for the artform they used to live for. I'd much rather see Muse endorse a Chevrolet in order to pay for studio time then hear a directionless, been-there done that record from them.

Let's examine Weezer's "Red Album" further. (By the way, this is Weezer's third self-titled album. Need any more proof they're running out of ideas?)

The album opens with a strumming, familiar guitar riff that harkens back to classic Weezer. You know, the days when it was fun to listen to them. With its kickin' groove and sing-along chorus, it feels as if the band wants this song to be in the same family as some of their other more upbeat classics. And at this they succeed: Troublemaker is The Good Life's pedophiliac Uncle. At no point in Rivers' confused diatribes("...and movies are as bad as eating chocolate ice cream" he warns) does he even come close to making a lyrical statement of any kind.

And that's one of the two salvageable songs on the record. The next song, Pork & Beans is the single and it is the ultimate anti-anthem for all of society's misfits. While it attempts to identify with the unique, instead it panders, speaking down to them. As Rivers croaks the "uplifting" chorus which speaks of being different and not changing who you are to appease anybody, a sad irony dawns over the song which perfectly explains the problem with current Weezer: In the old days Weezer evoked this message perfectly without even writing about it. Now Rivers screams this at anyone willing to listen and leaves no room for any subtlety or power in their music and lyrics.

"The Red Album" somehow manages to be pompous, overproduced, and pretentious while mantaining a feeling that the people behind the controls, as well as the songwriters themselves, have no idea what they're doing. When they're not ripping themselves off, they're ripping off The Red Hot Chili Peppers and making sappy, emotionless ballads.

That's just the tip of the iceberg for that album. As it stands right now, it's my pick for the perfect example of a band putting out subpar, passionless music that is tarnishing their old work and what they used to stand for.