Weezer (2016 album)

Weezer
Studio album by Weezer
Released April 1, 2016
Recorded 2015
Genre
Length 34:05
Label Atlantic, Crush
Producer Jake Sinclair[3]
Weezer chronology
Everything Will Be Alright in the End
(2014)		 Weezer
(2016)
Singles from Weezer
  1. "Thank God for Girls"
    Released: October 26, 2015
  2. "Do You Wanna Get High?"
    Released: November 3, 2015
  3. "King of the World"
    Released: January 14, 2016
  4. "L.A. Girlz"
    Released: February 18, 2016
  5. "California Kids"
    Released: March 10, 2016

Weezer, also known as The White Album,[4][5] is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Weezer, released on April 1, 2016.[6] The album features the singles "Thank God for Girls" and "Do You Wanna Get High?", along with promotional single "King of the World".[7]

Writing and composition

Rivers Cuomo described Weezer as a "beach album", based on his experiences " hanging around the Westside of Los Angeles, [...] with people in Venice and Santa Monica, the beach, the Hare Krishnas, the Sikh on roller blades with the guitar, girls on Tinder within a 4 mile radius, seeing other bands, the kids from La Sera."[8] Cuomo specifically used Tinder to meet people for song ideas.[9] Sonically, Cuomo credited The Beach Boys as a major influence.[8] The album's producer, Jake Sinclair, was also "determined to return Weezer to their Nineties glory", combining the "brashness and unpredictability of Pinkerton with the summer Beach Boys grunge pop of the Blue Album".[9]

The album's first song, "California Kids", was chosen from Cuomo's "backlog of 250 songs", based off the song "California" by Cuomo's Japanese band, Scott & Rivers.[9][10] The album's debut single, "Thank God for Girls", plays "with some gender stereotypes", examining modern online dating experiences with apps like Tinder, as well as God's creation of Adam, [11] while the second single, "Do You Wanna Get High?", deals with Cuomo's prescription drug addiction in 2000-01, as well as his girlfriend at the time,[12] describing it as "a really yucky and intentionally uncomfortable portrayal of the addict’s life. There’s nothing sexy, fun or funny about it."[13] The unnamed female also served as inspiration for the Green Album's closer, "O Girlfriend".[12]

"King of the World", a promotional single, deals directly with Cuomo's marriage to Kyoko Cuomo and her issues with anxiety.[14] "Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori", written solely by Cuomo, featured a key change into the chorus, as well as a "pretty extended satisfying guitar solo that I get to play [... as well as] this sublimated sexual longing in the lyrics. It's an energy I've long identified with going back to Weezer's first two albums. It's not sexual [...] it's more like, it gets repressed and has to come out in these gorgeous soaring melodies like Brian Wilson."[15] Cuomo listed the track as his favorite off the album.[15] "L.A. Girlz", written by Cuomo, rhythm guitarist Brian Bell and Luther Russell–featuring references to The Divine Comedy, the 2014 film Whiplash, and the Lewis Caroll poem "Jabberwocky"–serves as a "throwback to The Blue Album, with Wall of Sound-like production values, sweeping guitars" and deals with the lyrical theme of longing.[16]

Release and promotion

The band announced the album on January 14, 2016, along with the track "King of the World".[17] In promotion of the album, Weezer is scheduled to co-headline the Weezer & Panic! at the Disco Summer Tour 2016 with Panic! at the Disco in 2016.[18] On February 17, 2016, "LA Girlz" was premiered on through Apple Music, a song which was released on February 18, 2016.[19] A fifth song from the album, "California Kids", was released on March 10, 2016.[4][20]

On February 25, 2016, it was announced that Warner Music Group via Atlantic Records would release the album via their new joint venture with Crush Management, Crush Music.[21]

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[22]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[23]
Consequence of SoundB[24]
Entertainment WeeklyB[25]
The Guardian[26]
NME4/5[27]
Pitchfork Media6.2/10[28]
Q[29]
Rolling Stone[30]
Spin8/10[31]
Sputnikmusic4.4/5[32]

According to Metacritic, The White Album has received an aggregated score of 71/100 based on 28 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[22] Evan Lucy of Alternative Press declares the album as Weezer's best material in 15 years, stating "So feel free to call it a resurgence, a comeback, a resurrection or whatever else you will. All that really matters is that the White Album's songs are great, and not just great for the 2016 version of Weezer."[33] Philip Cosores of Consequence of Sound criticized the singles "Thank God for Girls" and "King of the World", commenting "The great thing about their last two albums is that these moments are rarities and, considering the band's standing in the rock world, might be a necessary evil. If it takes a couple bullshit alt singles to anchor a collection of vintage Weezer melodies, then it's a worthy sacrifice."[24]

Staff reviewer SowingSeason at Sputnikmusic described the album as "long awaited and worthy successor to Pinkerton", stating "The White Album manages to deliver on the promise showed by The Blue Album and Pinkerton without spending the entire time treading on familiar ground."[32]

Commercial performance

The White Album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with 49,000 units sold, making it Weezer's sixth top five album, as well as the band's eighth top 10 album in a row.[34] The album debuted at number 10 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 3,600 copies.[35]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "California Kids"  Rivers Cuomo, Dan Wilson 3:25
2. "Wind in Our Sail"  Cuomo, Kenneth Scott Chesak, Ryan Spraker 2:53
3. "Thank God for Girls"  Cuomo, Alex Goose, Michael Balzer, Alex Balzer, Bill Petti 3:30
4. "(Girl We Got A) Good Thing"  Cuomo 3:25
5. "Do You Wanna Get High?"  Cuomo 3:27
6. "King of the World"  Cuomo, Jarrad Kritzstein 3:24
7. "Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori"  Cuomo 3:25
8. "L.A. Girlz"  Cuomo, Brian Bell, Luther Russell 3:29
9. "Jacked Up"  Cuomo, Jonathan Coffer, Hugh Pescod 2:53
10. "Endless Bummer"  Cuomo, Bell, Russell 4:14
Total length:
 34:05

Personnel

Technical personnel[36]

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[37] 28
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[38]
[39]		 51
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[40] 65
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[41] 111
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[42] 10
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[43] 49
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[44] 51
Irish Albums (IRMA)[45] 27
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[46] 28
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[47] 39
UK Albums (OCC)[48] 24
US Billboard 200[49] 4

References

  1. ↑ "7 New Album Releases in 2016". Sony. Sony. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Stephens, Lydia (16 March 2016). "Weezer's Rivers Cuomo Proves His Genius Once Again With Latest 'White' Album". Slant. Slant. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Weezer Announce White Album, Share “King Of The World” Video". Stereogum. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  4. 1 2 Garner, George (10 March 2016). "Weezer Release New Video for California Kids". Kerrang!. Bauer Consumer Media. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  5. ↑ Murph, Lauren (15 January 2016). "Weezer announce new album release in April - watch the video for 'King of the World' now". Entertainment.ie. Entertainment. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  6. ↑ Murphy, Sean (15 January 2016). "Weezer Announce Weezer ("The White Album"), Share "King of the World" Video". Pitchfork.com. Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  7. ↑ Legaspi, Althea (15 January 2016). "Weezer Announce New Self-Titled Album and Tour". RollingStone.com. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Weezer Announce Weezer ("The White Album"), Share "King of the World" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Greene, Andy (24 February 2016). "Weezer's Rivers Cuomo on Reviving the Spirit of the Nineties, Joining Tinder". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  10. ↑ Helman, Peter (25 February 2016). "Weezer – “California Kids”". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  11. ↑ "Weezer – Thank God for Girls Lyrics - Genius Lyrics". Genius. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  12. 1 2 "Weezer – Do You Wanna Get High?". Genius. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Weezer - Do You Wanna Get High?". Weezer.com. 3 November 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Weezer – King of the World". Genius. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  15. 1 2 "INTERVIEW: Weezer Talks New 'White Album' - Music You Should Know". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  16. ↑ Danette Chavez (17 February 2016). "Weezer premieres new White Album track, “LA Girlz”". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  17. ↑ Biddulpt, Andy (15 January 2016). "Weezer Have Announced An Album + Tour". Rocksound.tv. Rocksound. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  18. ↑ Sharp, Tyler (15 January 2016). "Panic! At The Disco, Weezer announce co-headlining tour". AltPress.com. Alternative Press. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  19. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (17 February 2016). "Hear Weezer's Aching Ode to 'LA Girlz'". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  20. ↑ Helmen, Peter (25 February 2016). "Weezer - "California Kids"". Stereogum. SpinMedia. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  21. ↑ "Warner Music Group, Crush Music Launch New Label". Billboard. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Reviews for Weezer (White Album) by Weezer". Metacritic. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  23. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Weezer (White Album) – Weezer". AllMusic. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  24. 1 2 Cosores, Philip (March 31, 2016). "Weezer – Weezer". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  25. ↑ Brown, Eric Renner (March 30, 2016). "Weezer's Weezer (White Album): EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  26. ↑ Mumford, Gwilym (March 31, 2016). "Weezer: Weezer review – as big, dumb and crunchy as the early hits". The Guardian. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  27. ↑ Beaumont, Mark (April 1, 2016). "Weezer – 'Weezer' Review". NME. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  28. ↑ Camp, Zoe (March 30, 2016). "Weezer: Weezer (White Album)". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Weezer: Weezer". Q (359): 112. June 2016.
  30. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (April 1, 2016). "Weezer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  31. ↑ Unterberger, Andrew (March 25, 2016). "Review: Weezer Make Weezer Great Again on ‘The White Album’". Spin. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  32. 1 2 SowingSeason (April 1, 2016). "Review: Weezer – The White Album". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  33. ↑ Lucy, Evan (April 2, 2016). "Weezer’s White Album stacks up beside band’s best work of past 15 years". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  34. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (April 10, 2016). "Chris Stapleton Surges to No. 2 on Billboard 200, Lukas Graham, Weezer and Twenty88 Debut in Top 10". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  35. ↑ "A Journal of Musical ThingsWeekly Music Sales Report and Analysis: 13 April 2016 - A Journal of Musical Things". A Journal of Musical Things. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  36. ↑ Information from the album booklet.
  37. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Weezer – Weezer (The White Album)". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Weezer – Weezer (The White Album)" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Ö3 Austria Top40: Longplay-Charts". Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  40. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Weezer – Weezer (The White Album)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Weezer – Weezer (The White Album)" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Weezer – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Weezer. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Weezer – Weezer (The White Album)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Weezer – Weezer (The White Album)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  45. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 14, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Weezer – Weezer (The White Album)". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  47. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Weezer – Weezer (The White Album)". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  49. ↑ "Weezer – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Weezer. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
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