REVIEW: Weezer – “Hurley”

Weezer / Hurley / Epitaph

In a peculiar and uncharacteristic decision from the L.A. four-piece, the cover of Weezer’s new album does not feature the band lineup standing before a bright swathe of colour, but instead just displays the furry visage of Jorge Garcia (aka Hurley from ‘Lost’). The different album aesthetic brings with it a heavier, more straight forward rock sound with a number of classical orchestral sections one certainly wouldn’t have found back on Weezer’s first couple of self-titled albums. These songs don’t represent daring experimentation; just some continuations of themes from the group’s older work.

“Ruling Me” is vintage Weezer. Not only does it feature uber-nerdy lyrics (“We first met in the lunch room / My ocular nerve went pop zoom”) and “Buddy Holly”-style back-up vocals, but singer Rivers Cuomo actually writes the song as if he still is a boy. However, reflective songs (we’ll call them Red Album tracks) are also represented here with the aptly named “Memories”, a rosy look back on the band’s early days. Or, sure, if you want some of the doped out weirdness found on the Green Album or Maladroit it’s here (“Where’s My Sex”), standing right next to childlike sweetness and the mish-mash of topics and styles that have made Weezer attractive for years.

Download: “Memories”, “Ruling Me”, “Unspoken”