Weezer “Maladroit” Geffen
Records
With a more aggressive and far less pop-oriented sound than
their self-titled last release (a.k.a. the Green Album), Weezer
returns with a cross between “Pinkerton” and their
original self-titled (the Blue Album). “Maladroit,”
this latest offering, has its share of catchy melodies and riffs,
such as on “Dope Nose” and “Burndt Jamb.”
On songs like these, the group maintains the bouncy rhythms that
make it so popular. Other tracks, particularly “Slob”
and “Slave,” take the more serious, some may say
depressed, lyrical tone of “Pinkerton.” These songs,
while outwardly less fun, are among the best on the album. The band
has taken a step back from the “Island In the Sun” type
songs, and has finally brought back the harder-edged guitar playing
that characterized its early work. It seems that Weezer has found a
middle ground. While “Pinkerton” was poorly received
because it was thought to be too depressing, and the Green Album
went in the opposite direction and gave up depth in favor of pop,
“Maladroit” has elements of both worlds. Sadly,
it’s not the best of their two worlds, falling just short of
the quirkiness of the darker material and the cleverness of the
Blue Album’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics. “Maladroit”
is full of singles (the pop-flavored songs), which will no doubt
get a lot of radio airplay in the months to come. Ultimately
though, Weezer again fails to live up to their first album; it
remains their best.
Mary Williams
The Breeders “Title TK” Elektra
These are dark days for grunge music. Alice in Chains’
Layne Staley just bid us farewell, the remnants of Nirvana are
suing Courtney Love over rights to their music (how corporate), and
Creed is more popular than ever. Yet it is just this sad state of
music that makes the Breeders’ new disc, “Title
TK” so damn refreshing. After taking an almost decade-long
hiatus after their smash sophomore album, “Last
Splash,” Kim and Kelley Deal have returned with three new
band mates and a much more stripped-down sound. Seriously
stripped-down. Recording entirely on analog without any digital
manipulation or computer assistance, “Title TK,” sounds
like it was recorded in someone’s garage with no producer in
sight. But even without the slickness, the music is solid. Songs
like “Little Furry” and “Forced to Drive”
pivot around steady drums and head-nodding bass riffs while slower
tunes like “Put on a Side” and “Off You”
slow down the tempo with nothing but some light guitar. But it is
the paranoid, ironic vocals of the Deal sisters that define
the album. Their singing fits the music in its humbleness and
sincerity. Especially on songs like “Off You” and
“Full on Idle,” the Deals’ mix of desperation,
anger and humor makes the album a great listen that gets even
better the third or fourth time around.
Alex Palmer
Chumbawamba “Readymades” Universal
Records
Some colorful bead bracelets, glow sticks, and a
kilt. Sounds like one of those
“which-does-not-belong” questions. Any answer in
this case though, would merit a wrong response since the three
items together perfectly describe the garb of the ideal listener of
Chumbawamba’s newest release, “Readymades.” These
anarchist Brits have put a new twist on their tunes combining a
variety of new musical ranges, yet not venturing far from the
political motivation that underlie past albums. “All in
Vain,” which highlights the institutionalized racism that has
come to characterize celebrity culture, begins with an Irish chant
immediately drowned out by dance beats. Tracks such as “When
I’m Bad,” are as “bad” as the group gets
exploiting synthesizers to create a pop chorus many college
students are familiar with, “Oh barman / fill this glass
again.” The album brings to the forefront issues, such as the
ills of capitalism, in the track labeled “Sewing Up
Crap,” a song that alludes to the Factory Act of 1892 banning
child labor and notes its presence in the sweatshops in modern
America and elsewhere. Inspiration for the album comes from Marcel
Duchamp (remember, the mustache on the Mona Lisa?), who described a
readymade as a “work of art without an artist to make
it.” So appropriately titled, Chumbawamba’s new album
does just that, taking critical issues found in history books and
life and adding musical notes and a beat. Chumbawamba skillfully
puts the words of the poet Shelley to work in the punk-pop rock
tune, “After Shelley.” It addresses the fact that
millions of children will lose their lives to poverty-related
illnesses in this year alone. This isn’t for people who see
music as an outlet from the stress of the classroom. Perhaps they
should pick up a copy of the next Backstreet Boys album with its
redundant washed out lyrics about a fantasized love, lost love, or
finding the shape of someone’s heart (whatever that means).
These people might do better to put aside this album that seeks to
educate its audience through political lyrics and elaborate quotes
by radical thinkers adorned on its sleeves. Otherwise, enjoy
“thumping” fingers to Chumbawamba’s latest batch
of tunes.
Monique Keshishian