WEEZER
Make Believe
(Geffen)
www.weezer.com 

I suppose you could say that at this point in time, five albums on, Rivers Cuomo and Weezer are a law unto themselves. I mean, when you can place back-to-back a throwaway rap-rock (geek) anthem like the opening single “Beverley Hills” with the gorgeously mature melodic Kinks-referencing “Perfect Situation,” it reveals sharply where Weezer stands in the modern rock scheme of things. The former indicates that the band still has a strong feel of their audience – the pulse of the (geek) nation so to speak. Whilst the latter is testimony to the pop-rock genius of Cuomo as an unforgettable tune and the introspective perspective of lyrics like – “There’s the pitch, slow and straight/All I have to do is swing and I’m a hero/But I’m a zero” collide.

The rest of Make Believe is a warning shot to all the “80s new wave” pretenders now appearing over the modern rock horizon – Weezer is the granddaddy of them all. Check out the cool dance vibe of “This Is Such A Pity,” the sing-a-long quality of “Peace,” the smart commentary of “We Are All On Drugs” (with a chorus that sounds like a distant cousin of Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family”!) and the emo-rock balladry of “Pardon Me.”

And with the closing “Haunt You Every Day,” Cuomo and the boys give us the torch song to end all torch songs as he exhorts manic depressives everywhere to sing – “Oh, so alone in love/So alone in love/I’m going to haunt you every day/Haunt you every day.”

There has never been a mediocre Weezer album, as Cuomo and the band simply get better with age like the finest wine. Make Believe is a vindication of our beloved pop rock – 50 years of rock music distilled into these 12 songs. This is why we still believe in the power of pop! A+