Review Of New Weezer Album Accuses Band Of Catering To Rock Band

25 Comments Posted November 4, 2009 - By Patrick Klepek

Review Of New Weezer Album Accuses Band Of Catering To Rock Band

Weezer remains my favorite band...ever. It'd take something very special to top Blue Album and Pinkerton in my mind, especially when you add nostalgia to the mix. But I'm a little more realistic about modern day Weezer, especially the band's latest record, Raditude (don't get me started on the title). The notoriously snarky Pitchfork, however, takes singer and songwriter Rivers Cuomo to task in its review of Raditude, acccusing Cuomo of writing songs specifically for Rock Band.

"Of course, these journal scrawls are backed largely by power-pop -- what else could it be?" wrote critic Rob Mitchum in his largely negative review. "Cuomo proved for all time with the first two Weezer records (and fleetingly since) that he's a master of the genre, popping out melodic sing-alongs and fuzz-guitar riffs, and Raditude largely goes back to those basics. ... All together, it sounds like the first record ever written with the goal expressly in mind of being kick-ass to play on Rock Band."

The ironic part is MTV Games and Harmonix have consistently proved they're big fans of Weezer in their downloadable content lineup. Several tracks from Weezer's last release, The Red Album, appeared on the Rock Band store right around the time The Red Album was released. It wouldn't be very shocking to see the same thing happen with Raditude sometime in the near future.

(The single is actually pretty awesome.)

Tags: Music, Videogames

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max1million Show Hide

first

Posted: November 4, 2009 2:38 PM | Reply | Report

-25 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
I_PWN_U_ALL Show Hide

n00b.
and no1 offense to fans, but weezer sucks any1.
dont get me wrong, they pwn their own genre, but against other music (NOT comparing them to rap, just similar stuff) their not so hot...
the sweater song is good tho

Posted: November 4, 2009 2:41 PM | Reply | Report

-13 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
Shorty479 Show Hide

Third
Woot woot

Posted: November 4, 2009 2:48 PM | Reply | Report

-10 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
Mundi05

I fail to see how an album with minimal guitar solos, the bass playing root notes, and ordinary drum lines is 'built' for rock band, but that might just be the hardcore gamer in me talking. The only thing that would consistantly be fun throughout the album would be the vocals.

Posted: November 4, 2009 2:48 PM | Reply | Report

+3 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
pumathehero

above comment is my favorite for the day. loved how poster says band sucks, then they're ok, and at the end admits to liking one song. amazing. confused much? Blue album was great. everything after was mediocre.

Posted: November 4, 2009 2:49 PM | Reply | Report

+2 thumbs up thumbs down

2 Replies
Spartan593

I hope this isnt like bubblegum pop Weezer. I love all there albums(even Maladriot) but all the reviewers have it as "power pop" and its saddnes me. I know Rivers is just having fun now, as there already a success, and rich(for the most part) but the new single is really good, so I hope the rest of the album is to(might be there weakest in a while though) as for catering to Rock Band? Who knows? All there songs are verse chorus verse chorus bridge/solo chorus hahaha. thats already rock band friendly.

Posted: November 4, 2009 3:02 PM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
sdc10

Pitchfork is full of idiots plain and simple

Posted: November 4, 2009 3:21 PM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
sdc10

Pitchfork sucks plain and simple

Posted: November 4, 2009 3:22 PM | Reply | Report

0 thumbs up thumbs down

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sdc10

sorry for double post

Posted: November 4, 2009 3:22 PM | Reply | Report

0 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
Dajonz

Patrick, come now... Weezer can't possibly be your "favorite band... ever." John Bonham and Tupac just rolled over for fs sake!

Weezer absolutely is a Rock Band sensation - I was a sophmore in high school when their first album hobbled out the gate - they haven't made a better one since. They truly are chite mate.

Posted: November 4, 2009 4:00 PM | Reply | Report

0 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
Zmeeds

Weezer made two relevant albums. The rest may have well been performed by my chemical romance for all I care

Posted: November 4, 2009 4:51 PM | Reply | Report

+2 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
Notafanboythatiknow

If they are makings songs to RB, let them be. All "artists" want to sell their stuff any way they can.

Posted: November 4, 2009 4:54 PM | Reply | Report

+2 thumbs up thumbs down

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thepsychogamer

I'm a huge fan of Weezer (there probably my fourth favorite band, behind Breaking Benjamen, Three Days Grace, and Bad Religion)

Posted: November 4, 2009 5:04 PM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

4 Replies
blindsideofthesun

So you're saying their songs are fun to play along to, even in as simple of a form as pounding on plastic instruments...and this is a bad thing? Are you kidding, you snarky, full of yourself, delusional music snob. You're one of the types that the second a band makes a buck and is good at it, suddenly that band is no longer relevant, because they're not "fringe" enough for you. Because it's not an exclusive thing and someone who's not in your clique of uber-cool outsiders digs it, you're not allowed to like it. Freakin grow up, and stop convincing yourself that it's cool to hate something just because everyone else likes it.
My teenage years were full of jamming in the garage with my friends to the first two Weezer albums constantly, trading off instruments and going back and forth. Why? Because even from the very beginning, Weezer albums were just fun to play along to, whether in a garage with real instruments, or on a game system with plastic ones. That fact hasn't changed, only thing that has is they've become what you percieve to be more "mainstream", and that does bug your "too-cool" sensitivities sooo much, doesn't it...?

Posted: November 4, 2009 7:51 PM | Reply | Report

+3 thumbs up thumbs down

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blindsideofthesun

Oh, above post was aimed at the reviewer, not at Klepek. Pinkerton for life!
"When I look in the mirror, I can't believe what I see! Tell me who's that funky dude starin back at me?"

Posted: November 4, 2009 7:58 PM | Reply | Report

+2 thumbs up thumbs down

1 Reply
SneakySnipes1

Let me start out by saying that Weezer is one of my favorite bands of all time, now that I've said that I have to say that I don't like Pinkerton at all and this new album I sampled 30 secound snipets of and didn't like it very much at all, my favorite is the make believe album cus its good when ur depressed, my 2nd fav is the red, then blue and then green, I don't see why hardcore weezer fans love the blue and pinkerton so much....like its on another level, there not even my faves and i own all of weezers stuff....

Posted: November 4, 2009 9:27 PM | Reply | Report

0 thumbs up thumbs down

1 Reply
SirCitadel

blue was the epitome of their sound. green was short of that. rivers started to show his age with red. and raditude should have stayed in the oven a couple more years.

Posted: November 4, 2009 11:45 PM | Reply | Report

+2 thumbs up thumbs down

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Gwarnine

I don't like rock band and i don't like weezer lets send them both to mars.

Posted: November 5, 2009 6:54 AM | Reply | Report

0 thumbs up thumbs down

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nodrodee

A band made and album for RocBand - Say It Aint So

Posted: November 5, 2009 6:56 AM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

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stoney2

weezers awesome, and i don't care if they did or not, it's still a great album

Posted: November 5, 2009 7:14 AM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies