Weezer's 'Raditude' an exercise in experimentation
Photo credit: Handout | Weezer is back with a new CD called "Raditude"
Change is good - even for venerable veteran alt-rock acts.
Yes, on paper, things sound a bit worrisome for Weezer, stretching its boundaries on its seventh album, "Raditude" (DGC). The band teams with Indian musicians for the Eastern-flavored "Love Is the Answer." They bring in Lil Wayne and Jermaine Dupri for the club-friendly "Can't Stop Partying," which even includes a rap break and the long-awaited rhyme "Weezer and it's Weezy, upside down MTV." The band has a song called "In the Mall." And it brought in the All-American Rejects to help work on the yearning "Put Me Back Together," a revved-up continuation of early hits such as "Don't Let Go" and "Island in the Sun."
It's the kind of experimentation that could doom a weaker band, pulling it in all sorts of pandering, cool-hunting directions, but not Weezer. Rivers Cuomo and friends have such a sturdy foundation that they can seemingly work with anyone and still keep their distinctive sound.
The unstoppable first single "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" is a hyperactive take on the blend of new wave and early-rock innocence from their debut. But it's the anthem "Let It All Hang Out" - another collaboration with Dupri that could be the recession-era sequel to "Beverly Hills" with complaints about being overworked and underpaid for verses and a blowing-off-steam chorus - that actually proves the point. All these outside helpers simply make Weezer stronger.
WEEZER
"Raditude"
The grade A-
Bottom line Distilling wild influences into pure pop
