Here’s the most basic history of Weezer in 43 words: Weezer was good. Then they weren’t. Despite a decade-long dry spell (about 2004-2014), fans still adored the band. In 2014 Rivers Cuomo promised us that Everything Will Be Alright In The End, which brings us to The White Album, Weezer’s 10th studio album.
For an extended look at the history of Weezer, check out our E1 story: Is Weezer Cool?
Weezer is in a unique place. As Weezer is known for their trend of producing popular albums followed by poorly reviewed ones, White is arguably the first Weezer album to be even better than the already impressive album preceding. Yes, 1996’s Pinkerton is now regarded as a classic, but at the time of release, it was hated by the vast majority of listeners.
Much like The Beach Boys’ masterpiece, Pet Sounds, you can feel the sun-soaked vibe of California in every song with the innocent longing for true love and escaping to a worry-free environment. It is also jam-packed with beautiful harmonies, scene-setting ocean sounds and of course, Weezer’s signature power-chord-driven rock.
If the allusion to Pet Sounds is legitimate, “King Of The World” is the 2016 update of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” “King” is a letter from Cuomo to his wife Kyoko and features a similar desire to explore the world and find unparalleled happiness with the one you love. Cuomo says: “We are the small fish / We swim together / No Prozac or Valium / We’ll face tsunamis together.”
Interestingly though, Weezer is effectively drawing influence from Weezer as well. In the bridge of “King Of The World,” bassist Scott Shriner plays an almost note for note copy of the bass line from 1994’s “Only In Dreams.”
The two weakest tracks (“Jacked Up,” “Summer Elaine and Drunk Dorie”) would easily be highlights on Raditude or Red, but on The White Album, they flow smoothly and highlight the strengths that are apparent through the rest of the nearly seamless album. Sure, they’re filler, but at least they’re tolerable.
A staggering majority of the songs — seven of the album’s 10 — are 3:25 to 3:30. Perhaps Cuomo feels he has once again cracked the formula for how to write a perfect pop song, much like he did with the band’s best-known track, “Island In The Sun” (which similarly clocks in at 3:20).
White features Weezer’s widest range of historical references. In “Wind In Our Sails,” Cuomo sings about Sisyphus, Charles Darwin and Mendel’s peas in the course of a single song. Similarly, “Thank God For Girls” balances biblical references and daydreams of fighting dragons in a battle for supremacy and access to females. The video, released last October, was an unsettling visual assault of biblical imagery, a tacky mustache, a whole mess of cannoli. What starts as a seemingly normal song about a girl in a pastry shop quickly reroutes to the Garden of Eden with God microwaving Adam’s extra rib. It’s entirely unexpected, but after a few listens, “Thank God” turns into a standout track.
“Endless Bummer,” a soft acoustic song, closes the album with the line “Kumbaya makes me get violent / I just want this summer to end.” In the process of crafting the sound of summer, Cuomo evidently also grew sick of it. Luckily for the rest of us, The White Album has made it socially acceptable to call oneself a modern Weezer fan.
Watch the video for “King Of The World” below.