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Rating: Weezer have tried several times to flirt with commercial pop throughout their career.
They first attempted this with the unfortunate "Raditude" in 2009 and made a second attempt with the underrated "Pacific Daydream" two years ago (less blatant, to be honest). But no one expected them to fully succeed in their intent with the much-anticipated, talked-about, and desired "Black Album" (which is nothing more than yet another eponymous album, recognizable by the color of the cover).
What was supposed to be the counterpart album to the almost miraculous "White Album" of 2016, namely a collection of dark, gloomy, and heavy tracks, turns into a focused and exciting pop carnival. Knowing Rivers Cuomo, it is plausible that this is an affront, a sort of enormous provocation; so much so that the real masterpiece of the album, the third single "High As A Kite," seems to have the markings of what the numerous fans expected from a hypothetical black album. The McCartney early seventies style of the verse's pace, the desperate explosion of the chorus, the abrasive noise of the bridge, the suffering and heartfelt interpretation by the frontman: everything screams miracle.
Rivers himself revealed that the black album underwent multiple changes after the band's meme-level resurgence with the amusing cover of "Africa" by Toto (and the related collection of covers that topped the USA charts): who knows what would have come out, but that's fine, and it's great. The production by the absolute genius Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio is an effective added value, as in the case of the other rare gem of the album, the splendid "Byzantine" (written by Cuomo in collaboration with the equally brilliant Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!).
Weezer unleash themselves, definitively demolish the bridges with the past, and freely (and finally in a fully exhaustive manner) fuse past and present with an eye to the future. The Black Album is a playground, and there's something for every taste: it starts with the funky of the big single "Can't Knock The Hustle," moves to the reggae mixed with acoustic rock of "Zombie Bastards," then throws into the blender the more classic but slightly updated Weezer ("Piece Of Cake"), the high-charting yet quality pop-rock ("I'm Just Being Honest" and the potential superhit "Living In LA"), more funky ("Too Many Thoughts In My Head," with a refined guitar work by an inspired Brian Bell), glam (with the nice tribute to Prince in "The Prince Who Wanted Everything") and even rap/EDM (with the concluding "California Snow," which, however, is the only weak link of the work, really too unfocused and garish).
The whole has a modern and updated taste that, however, does not seem artificial, as happened in the past with the band's worst episodes.
Welcome back Weezer, oddballs that you are.
Best track: High As A Kite
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