Weezer

Over the years, reviewers aplenty have wished for Weezer's Rivers Cuomo to grow up. But when he's occasionally tried to do so, the results have served as an argument for endless adolescence — at least until now. The group's latest self-titled release is practically a novelty disc, albeit a notably...

By Michael Roberts

June 19, 2008

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Over the years, reviewers aplenty have wished for Weezer's Rivers Cuomo to grow up. But when he's occasionally tried to do so, the results have served as an argument for endless adolescence — at least until now. The group's latest self-titled release is practically a novelty disc, albeit a notably lazy one. The usual ten songs are padded out by a trio of tunes sung by the other bandmembers (only one, "Automatic," passes muster), and Cuomo's contributions include a moronic Chili Peppers rip ("Everybody Get Dangerous") and a flat-out embarrassing power-ballad satire ("Heart Songs"). Sure, "Troublemaker" sounds okay, and the single, "Pork and Beans," is dumb in a mildly enjoyable way. Overall, though, the disc feels phoned in, tossed off. Compared to this, a little maturity doesn't seem so bad.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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