From popular hits, to unrecognizable albums, Weezer has remained steady within the music industry. Unleashing their unique sound in their eleventh studio album, Weezer creates music that is radio friendly yet distinctive to their original sound in “Pacific Daydream,” released on Oct. 27.
Weezer’s career started in 1994 with the release of their debut album known as, “The Blue Album,” featuring the hit song “Say it Ain’t So” that launched them to stardom. Since then, Weezer has had plenty of radio air time and singles high on the music charts such as “Beverly Hills,” “Pork and Beans,” and “Island in the Sun.”
Their unique sound, interesting underlying messages, distinctive music videos, and lead singer River Cuomo’s recognizable voice marked the band as a constant band to watch. In an eleventh album, it may be hard to believe that a band would be able to come up with much more material and a different sound that has not been heard before. Maybe that is why in “Pacific Daydream,” Weezer goes for a vastly different and pop-influenced sound.
Noticeably missing from this album is their common use of guitar riffs and hard, straightforward lyrics. The pop-infused single, “Feels Like Summer” is almost unrecognizable when hearing it for the first time. This song embodies the fluidity and sound of the whole album; housing upbeat, catchy, easy to sing-along to tracks made perfect for radio popularity.
In the song “QB Blitz,” Cuomo sings uncreatively, “I be missing you like oxygen.” These lyrics have come a long way since the quirky yet distinctive words in songs like “Pork in Beans,” that include, “They say I need some Rogaine to put in my hair/ Work it out at the gym to fit my underwear.”
The song “Beach Boys,” intended to pay homage to the band, creates a unique sound that just seems to fall a little bit flat due to its execution. While having potential to create a Spanish or reggae sound, it just isn’t fully achieved.
Perhaps the best song of the album that maintains Weezer’s original guitar riffs and sound is the first song of the album, “Mexican Fender.” The opening tunes and verse seems to have the recognizable tune of Weezer that made them so loved in the first place. However, once the chorus begins, the song begins to fall flat to pop sounds and unoriginal lyrics that is embodied in the rest of the album, and is so different from what Weezer usually produces.
Although it is good when bands evolve and become better, Weezer should have stuck to the sound and lyrics they’re known for. As of now, “Pacific Daydream,” reveals to have been produced solely to adhere to mainstream music and pop sounds.