New Motion City Soundtrack Video: "Her Words Destroyed My Planet"

Before I start, let me just say that I don't understand what a Vevo is. What's wrong with the YouTube? Lots of people like the YouTube! Listen, Vevo, I'm allergic to change. And also ragweed. I don't support what you're trying to force on me. This is probably what grandparents feel like all the time. Like, "who needs an Internet if I've got a perfectly good radio right here? FDR is giving his Fireside Chat tonight," your grandparent says. Or, "What is a Lady Gaga? Is she like Rosemary Clooney?" GRANDPARENTS! I am now basically one of those. Back in my day, we used to stream and embed our videos using a YouTube, not a Vevo, and also, the Jersey Shore was just a popular vacation spot. What is a Snooki? Is that like a Lady Gaga?

Anyway, Motion City Soundtrack, you guys. Familiar with them? You should be. They've been plugging away for the last 13 years, perfecting their brand of quirky, Moog-heavy Midwestern rock amidst Meth addictions and lots of hair product. Truth be told, the band probably missed its shot at any kind of serious stardom a few years ago. Yet here they are, shlubby and in their 30's, set to deliver their major label debut and fourth album, My Dinosaur Life. The band could've gone for broke and polished things up in hopes for mass appeal, but instead they got rawer and managed to sound more like Superchunk, which is great for us. They also used all that money to make absurd choregoraphed videos like the one for lead single, "Her Words Destroyed My Planet." The song itself is THEBOMB.COM, littered with idiosyncracies, pop culture references and a chunky riff right off of Pinkerton. The video is aces, too. Watch it above on...ugh, whatever.

My Dinosaur Life hits stores next Tuesday (1/19) via Columbia. The whole thing streams on MySpace beginning tomorrow.

EDIT: The video is now on YouTube.

Weezer/Weezy: Yes, This Is Happening

Lil Wayne will guest on Weezer's forthcoming, career-ending album, Raditude. Says Rivers Cuomo about recruiting Weezy for the disc, in a quasi-racist statement:

"He gave it the edge I was looking for. You can hear in his voice, it sounds so dark, like he was gonna get shot or something when he walks out of the studio. So I was real happy that everyone involved got what we were going for." [MTV News]

For those keeping track at home, Weezer is still the worst.

Lazy Blogging: Oh Hey, There's This

Yes, Weezer is the worst.

Lazy Blogging: New Weezer Single

"(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To"

Whatever, you decide.

via Stereogum

Thoughts From My Lunch Hour: The End of a Very Bad Case of Weezer Denial

THOUGHTS FROM MY LUNCH HOUR by Andrew Daniels

Weezer, I'd like to see you in my office, please. I've been a bit lenient in allowing you to sneak away from the scene of your crimes relatively unscathed for the better part of the decade, but no, just no, I can't do that anymore. I told myself I was strong, so this is me being strong. Your recent live debut of two new songs is the straw that breaks this camel's back. Weezer, you are awful now.

I can no longer defend your mediocrity anymore in hopes of you one day recapturing your gloried past. Not happening. I turned a blind eye as I refused to see the signs of your progressive decay. When The Green Album came out and was 28 minutes of formulaic dreck devoid of any emotion, I said, "it's okay, because you're back! You just need to find your footing after such a long layoff." Maladroit was no better than Def Leppard with a French title, but those demos were so great! You must have been saving all the good songs for the next one. You promised me that Make Believe was a return to form, but it was only a return to your 2001 boring form! With an extra side of cheese! And then The Red Album. Oh, The Red Album. Remember when you leaked the 30-second clip of "Pork And Beans" that sounded so much like Blue and Pinkerton and got me stoked on your band again? But Rivers, remember when you had the unfortunate idea of letting your bandmates sing their own songs on the album and it ended up sounding like Creed? That's probably when I knew my love affair with you guys was over, but I still held that glimmer of hope.

No. These two new songs just shit on my face. And break my heart at the same time, extra points for that. What happened to you guys? Old age? Meditation? Asian wives? Rick Rubin? I guess it's time for a new generation of hopeless kids to fawn over gems like "I'm Your Daddy" and "The Girl Got Hot" the way I did with "Falling For You" and "Butterfly" all those years ago. Expulsion for all of you. Back to class, pack your things, I've called your parents to pick you up. Good luck in your future endeavors.

Julia Nunes Is F*!@ng Adorable

I've got a new obsession, and thy name be Julia Nunes. What started out as an innocent crush has blossomed into an absolute fixation; this girl has got me smitten. After a friend forwarded me a link to her cover of Weezer's "Keep Fishin", I proceeded to watch every single video on her mega-popular YouTube channel, and I've been floored ever since. Her off-kilter voice takes the best parts of a soulful Zooey Deschanel and a childish Kimya Dawson. She makes great use of the ukelele, transforming big popular indie hits into intimate desert island/dorm-room performances. She overdubs herself with perfect harmonies and a kitschy melodica, sometimes with the help of her college roomates and whoever else feels like joining in. She's refreshingly candid and insanely charming, from her infectious smile to her quirky confessions to the camera. You simply can't knock on this girl. She's even parlayed her Internet success into a full-fledged (albeit part-time) solo career, performing her great originals with the likes of none other than Ben Folds. I've included a slew of her covers below. I strongly urge you to check the rest out -- don't blame me if you spend the whole day doing so -- because this girl is a star in the making. In the words of Maeby Funke, "marry me!"

 

Weezer "Keep Fishing"

Spoon "The Underdog"

 

Bright Eyes "The First Day Of My Life"

Way more videos of Ben Folds, The Beach Boys, and yes, Kanye covers can be found via YouTube.

Blogging Through The Red Album

FIRST IMPRESSIONS of ALBUM SIX
by Andrew Daniels

Regardless of how much they disappoint me with each year that passes, I am – and will forever be – a die-hard Weezer fan. I can't help it. That band is a part of me until I die. The Blue Album was the first piece of music I ever bought for myself, back in 1994, at the now-defunct Sound and Vision in the Westgate Mall. Pinkerton ranks among my top five albums of all time, and its lyrics are ingrained in my bedroom walls. The three subsequent Weezer albums, post-hiatus – Green, Maladroit and Make Believe – were largely panned -- but I instead point to the redeeming qualities on all three. I think, on a good day, Rivers Cuomo is arguably the best pop songwriter of his generation, so I always hold out hope that his next work could return him to the glory days of Blue and Pink.

Today marks the release of Weezer's first album in three years, for the third time self-titled, affectionately given the hue nickname of Red. The album has leaked in bits and pieces over the last month and a half, but I resisted the urge to download. Instead, I opted to wait until today to digest the whole thing with virgin ears, as I do each release day for the bands that are important to me. I've steered clear of early criticisms and praises on message boards, so that my opinion may not be hindered by jaded fans and critics. I mean business.

Anyway, you know about my anticipation. I was the one who fawned over a twenty-second snippet of "Pork and Beans", and up until now, the single was my only taste of Red. This morning, I eagerly got into the car to drive to my mom-and-pop store of choice, the Compact Disc Center, and picked up the album for a cool $12.99. What follows are my first impressions of the album, and the thoughts I had during my first listen, unfolded in real time. Preconceived notions be damned, this is The Red Album. Follow along!

"Troublemaker"

- The guitar riff that kicks off the album is reminiscent of "The Good Life". That's certainly a good start.

- Rivers just talked about chocolate ice cream.

- So. Much. Rhyming. Good God!

- Love the bridge. Lyrics about sex and fame, something the 'Varz hasn't addressed in this candor since Pinkerton.

- Kind of a weak chorus, but the rest of the song makes up for it.

"The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)"

- Sirens, applause, and piano tinkling that sounds like a Fisher Price commercial.

- Rivers is rapping about underwear. This is awkward.

- This song has already veered in four different directions. Bizarre.

- Really bad rhyme about knots and cots.

- Brian Bell does great backups.

- Straight up Blue melody at the 3:30 mark, complete with awesome moog.

- It sounds like he's really forcing these lines.

- Dramatic spoken word from RC: "bodies be all up on my behind."

- Sweet a capella section.

- I know he's a fan of Green Day, but maybe Rivers listened to a little too much of American Idiot while writing this.

- All over the place. Utterly ridiculous, and that's both good and bad.

"Pork and Beans"

- Thrilled they're using this guitar tone again. I really, really love this single. The video's great too.

- Now I can't help but picture the Shoes guy during the last "I don't care!" in the bridge. Damn you.
- Has anyone figured out what that chicken sound is yet?

"Heart Songs"

- Sleigh bells in the background! Opening sorta reminds me of "My Name Is Jonas" and "In The Garage."

- Verses are strong, particularly the phrasing. Lots of music references. Gordon Lightfoot, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen… RICK ASTLEY!

- You know, it's totally normal to sing about the Fresh Prince.

- I dig how refreshingly honest Rivers is, particularly with the third verse, about Weezer's beginning.

- Finally, dude belts out after all that restraint. And there's our first hint of a guitar solo on the whole record, even if it's not much.

- Definitely got better at the end.

"Everybody Get Dangerous"

- This song actually starts with this phrase: "When I was younger, I used to go and tip cows upon ya. Actually, I didn't do that, because I didn't want the cows to be sad." Ugh.

- So far, this is a bad Maladroit outtake. Rick Rubin should never be allowed to produce anything Weezer ever again.

- Okay, this section is pretty sweet, and it kinda redeems the first part of the song. Rivers is contemplating fatherhood, and whether or not he would allow his kids to do the same things he did when he was younger. Good harmonies. The 'ninja swords' line, though awful, works well in the context.

- More great Brian harmonies. Brian Bell on this album = Matt Sharp on the first two.

"Dreamin"

- More Blue guitar. Simple chorus, but it's infectious.

- Another song coping with being an adult and a father. It's the album's unifying theme so far.

- What the hell is this midsection? Brian just uttered the word "goslings."

- Alright, it's getting better. Again, Brian is all over this album… love the interplay between the two vocals.

- Another ambitious suite, combining parts of Blue and the best parts of Make Believe. I'm not sure if it all works, but man, this band is certainly experimenting.

"Thought I Knew"

- Drum machine!

- Brian takes center stage for the song. His voice is snotty, and is probably better suited for backups.

- I'm coming around to the chorus. If I have to deal with Rivers not singing, I suppose this will do.

- Boring bridge.

- Song is pleasant, but nothing exceptional. It doesn't really go anywhere, and it kind of reminds me of a latter-day Santana song, with a guest vocal by Brian Bell. I'm worried to hear Scott's and Pat's songs...

"Cold Dark World"

- The opening verse might confirm by darkest fears: that Scott Shriner would some day ruin this band.

- His voice isn't really anything. There's no variation in the melody, and it sounds like a bad Red Hot Chili Peppers rap.

- Chorus is slightly better, but this song should've been a B-side.

- Guitar solo #2 on the album.

- Rivers takes over for the rest of the song, but it doesn't change a thing.

- This is probably the first song I have to skip on the album. It's that bad.

"Automatic"

- Pat has a pretty quirky voice, but he's definitely a better drummer than he is a singer.

- I actually dig this, sort of a lot. It's really rough and minimal. Wouldn't sound out of place on Maladroit, and I like the buzzsaw guitars throughout.

- I imagine what this would've sounded like had Rivers sung it, but you know what? This probably suits Pat's voice better than it does Rivers's.

- Definitely the best of the three non-RC songs. I can roll with this.

"The Angel and The One"

- Beautiful melody.

- I have a feeling this is going to be epic – and not in the sense of "The Greatest Man", but more in the vein of Blue's closer, "Only In Dreams."

- This has a real Midwestern emo feel to it. The guitar works perfectly.

- Rivers hasn't used this much emotion in more than ten years. Mark it. When his voice reaches that plateau at 2:40… best moment on the album.

- This is giving me chills, seriously.

- This would've been perfect to end Make Believe… a lot of the same subject matter. It doesn't work well contextually on this album, but it's arguably the best song on here when it stands alone.

- Finally, a stunner. Way to go, guys.

And there you have it. It's going to take many more listens to give any sort of comprehensive, final opinion on the album. I loved a lot of things, I hated others. My premature evaluation? There are some real winners on here, and some real clunkers -- thus, it's not a return to form, but it's a hell of a start. The album is at times fun, poignant, experimental and really scattered, but I think it beats the hell out of the last three albums from this decade. The band's development on Red is really encouraging for Album Seven, which has already been given the tentative release date of November 2009. Maybe -- just maybe -- having colossal expectations for the next Weezer album are now justified, thanks to the progress they made with this one.

- Andrew Daniels

The Red Album is available everywhere today. If you have the album, what do you think?

Gearing Up for Summer Releases

The New York Times recently published the "notable albums scheduled for summer-season release" list - yes, the list that ultimately accounts for $20 spending sprees and mornings feeling bad about yourself for doing so. Remember how you felt after buying Tyler Ramsey's A Long Dream About Swimming Across the Sea?. Yeah, we are talking about that CD store walk-of-shame.

But, those worth mentioning include: Weezer - Weezer, Adele - 19, Emmylou Harris - All I Intended to Be, My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges, The Hold Steady - Stay Positive and Conor Oberst- Conor Oberst.

Look to Stark for future reviews.

Best. Cover. Ever.

That's it. You win. No music, just sell this picture and we've got the album of the year.

The Red Album comes out June 24. Free mustache rides are included with every purchase.

Hear the full "Pork And Beans" single at the official site.

-Andrew Daniels

Weezer Returns! (For Real This Time?)

Yesterday, Weezer fans around the world, who are anxiously awaiting the band's upcoming sixth album -- titled, of course, Weezer, and due in stores June 17 -- were treated to a tease. Amazon posted 20 seconds of the new single, "Pork and Beans", and something peculiar happened in the process. It didn't get trashed, as it was expected to. Fans and critics immediately loved it. I replayed it five times to make sure it wasn't a joke.

I'll be damned... it kills.

Wait, is this 1996? Sweet heavens, listen to that guitar tone! Listen to those cheeky lyrics! Weezer is back!

Well, maybe. I've been wrong before. When the cell phone clip of "Beverly Hills" started circulating a few months prior to the release of Make Believe in early 2005, I thought the Weez of yore had returned, based off of the song's similarities to "Undone" and "El Scorcho." But then I heard the whole song, and the whole album, and I was let down. Rivers Cuomo was emoting, sure, but his lyrics read more like third grade poetry than the tortured genius found on Pinkerton. There was very little to salvage on that album, and when the band had all but broken up toward the end of the following year, I was disappointed that I couldn't find myself caring.

But this band has gotten me excited again.

I don't want to jump the gun based off a tiny sample, but if this is any indication of what the new album entails, we may get the band's return-to-form that we've clamored for over the last decade. "Pork and Beans" sounds like it can hang with anything from The Blue Album or Pinkerton, and that's incredible to think about. Can this really be happening? Or is the idealist in me overshadowing the skeptic? We'll see on April 22 when the full single is digitally released. Even if the venture turns into another disappointment, though, at least I'll always have these twenty seconds to smile at and think about what could have been. Hear for yourself.

- Andrew Daniels