Weezer – Weezer (aka ‘The Red Album’)

Starting with irresistible lead single ‘Pork and Beans’, a chunk of Weezer’s sixth album delivers the band’s trademark combo of crushing power chords, pop-culture references and a healthy dose of ironic self-ridicule.

But the most intriguing tracks depart from the formula in radical fashion. ‘Heart Songs’ traces a line from Gordon Lightfoot to Nirvana on the way to recounting Weezer’s own genesis.

The concluding ‘The Angel and One’ works its way to outright grandeur and both trade irony for a ton of sentiment – Rivers Cuomo’s psychotherapy must be working. It’s just like him to slap on a smiley face while the world is going to hell.

BUD SCOPPA