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Weezer
Make Believe
Geffen/UMG

You gotta feel sorry for Weezer. Trying to make a record while constantly living in the shadow of a couple of albums you made ten years ago cannot be easy. In the 'Making Of' on the CD-ROM component to Weezer's fifth album 'Make Believe', drummer Pat Wilson reflects rather sadly that he once heard true Weezer fans described as those who "are unhappy with what the band is doing." I once even received death threats, bona fide death threats, from rabid members of the weezer.com bulletin board when I tried to defend 'Maladroit' as a good record. Death threats.

On first listening to 'Make Believe,' however, I finally experienced what all those crazy 'Pinkerton' loving keyboard jockeys were on about: bitter, bitter disappointment. The disturbingly catchy and El Scorcho-esque lead single Beverly Hills had given me great hope of a return to that older, far superior sound, even if it did seem a little contrived. However, all I got after that first listen was blandness. Slightly interesting verses leading up to repetitive and wholly unsatisfying choruses. Or so I thought.

As I get over the fact that this ain't no 'Blue Album,' I find myself with a record that is actually fairly good. Perfect Situation is vintage "wo-oah" Weezer, We Are All On Drugs is a sharply delicious bit of fun, and Beverly Hills is the best Weezer track since 'Pinkerton'; but it's songs like the nuanced Hold Me and the haunting, harmonic-picking Freak Me Out that reveal where Weezer are at.

Rivers Cuomo still suffers from an endearing neurosis ("frightened of the dark, I am"), but deals with such with more of a quiet, reflective introspection then the punk-rock angst of the past. This, unlike 'Green' and 'Maladroit,' finally sounds like an honest portrayal of Weezer, a record that is what it is without pretension. Sure, songs like The Other Way and My Best Friend can only be described as... well, lame, but 'Make Believe' doesn't deserve the bashing it's sure to get on that bulletin board.

Matt Vesely

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2008 Adelaide International Guitar Festival