By Mitch Ringenberg
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Weezer will always have a special place in my heart as the creators of two of my favorite ’90s albums: their self-titled debut (commonly known as the “Blue Album”) and its underrated follow up, “Pinkerton.” “Pinkerton” was a step in a different direction for Weezer, featuring deeply personal lyrics from lead singer Rivers Cuomo, but it unfortunately tanked, crippling the band’s career.

Since then, Weezer has tried to avoid heartfelt lyrics such as the ones featured on “Pinkerton,” which is really a shame considering it is still their best album; instead, Weezer has decided to stick to their debut’s formula: strong hooks and goofy lyrics. This formula is fun and can definitely make for an enjoyable album. Some bands have even based their careers on this; just look at the Ramones.

Weezer’s newest album, their third “colored” self-titled album (this one being red), is more like their recent work: brief and enjoyable, if not flawed. The album kicks off with “Troublemaker,” a catchy, tongue-in-cheek song that’s unfortunately bogged down by its cheesy lyrics. (Actual lyric: “I’m a troublemaker, never been a faker.”)

The two best songs on the album, “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)” and “The Angel and the One,” are the most ambitious. The former, which plays like a ten-minute epic squeezed into less than six, is a semi-satire at rock star bravado, fusing genres every thirty seconds or so.

“Pork and Beans,” the first single off the album, sounds like vintage Weezer and could easily have fit right on the “Blue Album.” It stands as one of the better songs in Weezer’s catalogue.

Not only is Weezer showing signs of branching out musically on this album, but they also seem to be growing lyrically as well. But not too much, of course. Much of Weezer’s charm does come in the fact that they sing about teenage troubles, and they never seem to want to grow up. But songs such as “Dreamin'” and “The Angel and the One” show a much more mature and adult Cuomo, ready to deal with the real world rather than sing about adolescent pain.

The “Red Album” does a decent job balancing light-hearted, fun songs with serious, mature songs, which is to its benefit since many fans are not yet ready to see Weezer grow up too much.

A big flaw comes in the lyrics. It doesn’t seem Cuomo has improved his songwriting skills much, and songs such as “Troublemaker,” “Everybody Get Dangerous” (the title alone is unsettling), “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” and “Automatic” all have embarrassingly corny lyrics. It may be in part because it seems odd now for 40-year-old men to be singing about being teenagers.

This album is surely a step up from their previous effort (“Make Believe”), and although this may not be the best album for new Weezer fans to start with, it definitely has material that old fans will cherish.

Grade: B