Immediate Response: Weezer - Everything Will be Alright in the End

Every time a new Weezer album comes out, I anticipate it mostly with trepidation. I'd love for it to be the greatest album ever made, but I've been burned by a new Weezer album far too many times. I mean, "Pork and Beans?" "The Girl Got Hot?" The only good song Weezer have released since the not-too-bad Green album was "Perfect Situation" back in 2005. All the advance press for Everything Will Be Alright in the End says that it's a return to form, but anytime a band has been around for more than 10 years, every album is supposed to be a return to form, and it all ends up being more of the same drivel the band has been releasing. So how is Everything Will Be Alright in the End? Here are my thoughts as I listen to it for the first time.

1. "Ain't Got Nobody"
This is actually a good song. The lyrics tend to be on the cheesier side. "Ain't got nobody to really love me?" That'sbad, but "Ain't got no one to kiss and hug me" is the kind of lyric that makes you want to roll up your car windows so no one can hear you listening to it. Great Eddie van Halen guitar solo, though. Still the best song they've done in almost a decade.

2. "Back to the Shack"
I hate this song. This song has made me doubt all the reviews claiming this is a return to form. This is as bad as "Beverly Hills." Sample lyric: "... forgot that disco sucks." UGH. "... Turn off these stupid singing shows." Yeah... this one is just lame.

3. "Eulogy for a Rock Band"
Just an awkward song. The verses are annoying, but the chorus is pretty decent. It feels like they're holding back. I'm not feeling very positive about the album anymore. 

4. "Lonely Girl"
This is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a Weezer song called "Lonely Girl." It's upbeat, formulaic power pop that makes me feel old. You can pretty much predict every single part of the song before it happens. Very boring.

5. "I've Had it Up to Here"
Just when I thought it would all be garbage, I like this one. It has a smidge of the old Weezer quirk, but kind of an Eli "Paperboy" Reed R&B feel to it. The guitar solo doesn't quite fit in. It feels like they tried to cram a Pinkerton tempo change in.

6. "The British Are Coming"
"One if By Land..." is seriously a lyric in this song. It's a pretty straightforward mid-tempo rock song, but damn good. The chorus is unbelievably catchy, and it has a killer double guitar solo.

7. "Da Vinci"
Opens with some whistling, but in a good way. This is the best Weezer song in over 10 years. It's a pretty straightforward rocker, but with a whistling bridge, which is much better than it sounds like it should be. It ends with some Pinkerton-esque quiet noise. Great song.

8. "Go Away"
This is the duet with Beth Consentino of Best Coast. It's a great break up song that is almost doo wop. It's simple and feels really organic. This feels on par with great Weezer b-sides from the first two albums, like "Jamie" and "You Gave Your Love to Me Softly."

9. "Cleopatra"
This song is just dull and sluggish. It's corny, and then this almost rap part with counting by five comes in with a metal riff. Somehow that's the best part of the song, and makes me wish they explored that more. It comes back at the end, but doesn't save this clunker.

10. "Foolish Father"
There's a promising first verse, but right when it sounds like it's building to something epic, it stalls on the chorus. The solo feels out of place, like it was added on from another session.

11-13. "I. The Waste Land," "II. Anonymous," "III. Ithaka"
Holy epic! This is a modern take on "Only in Dreams." It switches tempos and styles a lot, like it's their take on Queen. It's just a fun song.

Is this a return to The Blue Album and Pinkerton? No. But it's by far their best album since The Green Album. If they took out some of the weaker tracks, it would have actually added to the album. Definitely worth a listen if you're a Weezer fan.