The ultimate nerd band, Weezer, got to where they are today because they started out like a bunch of average joes. It seemed that people from all walks of life, even my Dad, were flocking to listen to The Blue Album back in the day.
Once he had everyone's attention, frontman Rivers Cuomo exploited the opportunity, and poured his heart out in the widely lauded Pinkerton.
Some loved The Green Album, some hated it. I thought it was decent. And I feel about the same about Maladroit.
Sure, it's not the impeccable work of tortured genius that Blue or Pinkerton was, but it's not wholly terrible either. Considering the relative simplicity of the melodies, Maladroit has some decent "growing" power. Nothing even remotely grabs you the way the key change in No Other One does, or the tempo change in El Scorcho. On the other hand, when I say things like that, I always feel like maybe if there were five years between me and the memories with which I associated this album, maybe I'd feel differently.
I think about a song like "Burndt Jamb", and I can see myself in three or four years listening to it again and thinking "Man, those were great times." Yet I can't just think the same thing right now, and because of that, I constantly doubt myself as a music listener. Aw, but enough of the maladrama.
Maybe what it really is is that this whole "I don't give a shit" thing has a limited shelf life. The career of a musical artist is as prone to the harsh reality of the Circle of Life as any living person, and the only way to survive for longer is to evolve. Not a whole lot of evolution here. Granted, Weezer still got the chops, but the chops have been in the leftover bin in the refrigerator for two weeks.
"American Gigolo" is an innocent enough introduction, with all its banging of the drums and the quasi-rapping verse. But I still can't imagine this as actually being a Weezer song because it seems to "wander" so much. The chorus is a bit more grounded, though it strikes me, guitar riffage notwithstanding, as more like Hootie & The Blowfish than Weezer. Which is not necessarily bad, just unexpected.
"Dope Nose" unleashes a lot of summery squealing guitar work and some rather enchanting oh-ohs that sound very "today" in spite of the song already having aged two years, which is a long time in this decade already. Lyrics are perplexing, but that's a given from the title.
Call me a sinner, but "Keep Fishin" is a wee bit on the overrated side. I got no problem with the Longviewesque first half; during that segment, this song royally brings down the house. It just loses me when (much of a display of talent as it is) they segue into 4/4 time. The doo-wah's are nice, but nothing from the 50's (from which it was allegedly inspired) would have used them so deeply in the background; if I'm not mistaken, the 50's utilized doo-wah (or doo-wop) as far more of a rhythmic device than that.
"Slob" and "Burndt Jamb" make up one of the album's highlights, as they are placed back to back. "Slob" narrates the feelings of its title character with regard to those who advise him to do something "better" with his life. It is one of Rivers' finest vocal performances ever. The tempo change in the middle of the second verse is brilliant. "Burndt Jamb" is one of those songs I swear I've heard a hundred times before, but again, can't peg it. Most of it involves a soft, melodic guitar sequence a la Sugar Ray, Sublime, possibly even Jamiroquai that I might have heard similar things from before. But it's an addictive piece, mostly instrumental, a cool break from the otherwise heated pace of the album.
Rivers sounds damn depressed on some of these songs, specifically in the last half. I figured it was just the way a song like "Slave" (probably the closest it gets to a Pinkerton melody) was meant to be sung, but it happens again on "Possibilities", a tune that otherwise smacks of Green Day filler.
Songs that were obviously meant to be catchy come out quite well, actually. "Love Explosion" takes off with a tried and true lyric such as "Jump out jump out, get your groove on, this one is for you so come on!" Even the aforementioned "Possibilities" gets under your skin over time. "Space Rock" is a more middle-paced tune but has its old-school Weezer moments. Earlier in the album, a slower song called "Take Control" turns out to be one of the catchiest gems of all, going for the darker melody, drenching it with cymbals and saying a lyrical goodbye - "And I won't let you down, drag your name all over town, and I won't be comin' back round here no more."
As far as ballads go, "Death And Destruction" oozes friendly from every orifice with its adroit guitar melody, but boy does it drag on. Fortunately, like most of the other songs on the album (13 songs, half hour, go figure) it doesn't go on for long. The other ballad, "December" brings up a hasty 3/4 beat with some well-timed drumming going into its chorus. It's quite simply a flawless love song by a band who knows everything about situations caused by love, but isn't typically known for singing about love in general. So this song is at least some proof that the guys haven't smoked their brains totally away yet.
Only faith can bring to life
One who falls by the wayside
Only trust can inspire
Soggy lungs to breathe fire
Only love
Only love...
Some lyrics sites list "soggy lungs" as "a soggy nose", but I prefer "lungs" myself. I ain't no dragon. Except on the Chinese astrology chart.
Maladroit may work for moderate to die-hard fans of Weezer, but as an introduction to who they are, not a whole lot is said. Either way, I think I got my time's worth.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.