Weezer
Pacific Daydream

Six albums in ten years. There's really nothing to say about Weezer's prolificacy.

Rivers Cuomo and company had somewhat lost their way, releasing two albums like “Raditude” (an absolute disaster across the board) and “Hurley” (a step above, but still mediocre). However, the two subsequent albums, “Everything Will Be Alright In The End” and the “White Album” lifted them back up and got them decidedly back on track.

At that point, Cuomo starts writing with the intent of coming up with darker ideas for a hypothetical “Black Album,” but realizes that the songs emerging are too light in tone; he therefore shelves the original project (planned for next spring anyway) and puts together this new “Pacific Daydream.”

According to the frontman himself, the new work sounds as if “the Beach Boys had a beautiful baby with the Clash,” and it's a rather accurate description. Unfortunately, however, “Pacific” turns out to be a satisfactory album but with a few too many missteps. The record, in fact, takes off immediately with the beautiful “Mexican Fender,” arguably the only truly rock piece on the album (great guitar riff, in true Weezer style) and continues with (unsurprisingly) “Beach Boys,” a perfect pop song with vague reggae and funky inflections. Even “Feel Like Summer,” though at times mimicking some pop clichés dominating the global charts, hits the mark thanks to Cuomo’s great ability in crafting incisive and balanced melodies.

In the rest of the tracks, unfortunately, there’s a quantity of fillers that is too high, as in the case of “Weekend Woman,” “Sweet Mary,” “La Mancha Screwjob” (quite mediocre), and “Get Right.” There is a peak with the excellent “QB Blitz,” the last promotional track released and perhaps the only track besides the opener in full Weezer style, and it all closes fairly well with the adequate “Any Friend Of Diane’s.”

“Pacific Daydream” isn't a disaster like “Raditude” but doesn't even confirm the excellent levels newly reached with the last two studio efforts. It is a good Weezer album that, as usual, delivers at least two or three great tracks but partially fails to fully affirm itself.

A good appetizer for the much more intriguing “Black Album” project, not to be disdained nor overly praised.

Best track: QB Blitz