Weezer — Maladroit

Apparently Weezer’s even-numbered, properly titled albums will forever be under-appreciated (albeit later acclaimed) by the masses. With Maladroit, we find a ho-hum affair that will only find a real home with the sweater vests, ‘cause it certainly isn’t as accessible as last year’s Green Album. But this is nothing new. If y’all will think back a few years, the same thing happened with Pinkerton; wantonly cast aside as freakish when compared to their debut, Blue Album, but after a couple of years it became a cult classic.

Well, while Maladroit oozes with instantly recognizable Weezer melodies and a couple of tunes dripping with radio-pop ("Dope Nose" and "American Gigolo" respectively), many songs feel strangely dark despite the characteristic sugary harmonies. Occasionally, guitars are in full ‘70s rock flair ("Death And Destruction," "Take Control"), but most songs are mired in a sullen vibe that many will find hard to swallow. I did. And I swallow anything.

Not a complete departure, Maladroit has that undeniably overproduced Weezer crispness and it dives even deeper into lyrics about girls, needing to be alone and other boy stuff. But at the same time, it’s come out so fast (less than a year after their last album — quite a surprise given their usual, like, four-year waiting period), one has to wonder if the crew gave Maladroit enough time to marinate. Maybe with a few more months under the microscope, they would have fully developed that radio-friendly touch. 

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